The Unholy Trinity: Serpent Spell
by MadameCissy
Summary: Three wands with the same core brings together three hearts. A magic unlike anything else the world has ever seen. A tale of love, friendship and betrayal that brings together those who never should have been and tears apart everything that once was. Bellatrix/Hermione, Hermione/Narcissa, Hermione/Andromeda and Bellatrix/Narcissa.  Part 1 of the trilogy.
1. The Darkness That Comes Before

**Summary:** After a dramatic event changes her life, Hermione breaks free from the protective magic of the Order of the Phoenix and wanders out into the darkness of the night. When her path crosses that of Bellatrix Lestrange she discovers that as well as something having died inside of her, something else has come to life. The discovery that her heart is part of Bellatrix's changes everything. Their wands are united in a magical connection unlike anything else ever seen in this world. What does it take to love those you never thought you could, but even more, what does it take to betray the ones who hold your heart? Where does love end and betrayal begin and who holds the only missing piece to a broken heart?

**Disclaimer: **Everything you recognise belongs to JK Rowling and also to Warner Bros. I just take their complex characters and create a dimension of my own.

**Pairing: **Bellatrix/Hermione to start with but there will also be Hermione/Narcissa, Hermione/Andromeda and Bellatrix/Narcissa

**Rating:** M for language, violence, torture and sexual scenes.

**Timeline: **Set just after the arrival of the Trio at The Burrow at the start of Deathly Hallows. Ignores the whole timeline from there.

**Author's Note:** My dear Bellamione readers, my apologies for having been away from the Potterverse for so long. I am afraid I strayed into other fandoms for a while but I have not forgotten how much this pairing and my readers mean to me. So here I am once again, returning with a tale like you have gotten to know them. It will be dark, twisted, mean and full of emotion and angst. I haven't got an exact plot for this story yet, just a minimal outline, but often the good ideas come to me as I am working on stories so I am just going to keep on writing and see what happens. I hope many of you are still around. Since I have abandoned you for so long I do not think I deserve your loyalty but it would mean the world if you guys have waited. The Potterverse was and always will be my first true home within fan fiction and it has changed a lot for me. Please enjoy the pairing that has become a part of me. The quote at the beginning is my own and describes exactly what this story is. MadameCissy's back.

**Warning: **The first chapter contains a rape scene (male/female). If this is a trigger for you, please make sure you are not alone when reading this or you are some place safe. I hope none of this upsets any of you. Take care of yourself, wherever and whoever you are.

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**Chapter 1**

"**The Darkness That Comes Before"**

_Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster,  
and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.__  
~Friedrich Nietzsche_

Darkness had fallen a few hours ago, though these days it felt like the world was permanently shrouded in a blanket of shadows. Strings of mist pressed against windows and dark figures moved around, their faces obscured by dark hoods but their eyes constantly seeking their next prey. Since the rise of the Dark Lord the world as it had once been known was no more. Those with common sense did not travel alone. Small groups of witches and wizards could be seen scurrying about if they had to. Their eyes were permanently filled with fear and they all looked over their shoulder wherever they went. Danger lurked around every corner. Most of the shops in the once so popular Diagon Alley had been boarded up. Those that did not have wood covering their windows and doors had been raided and then burnt. Broken glass littered the cobbled alleyway. When night time came entire families vanished. Whether they would ever see another sunrise, no one knew. No one dared ask, let alone answer, that question.

Hermione Granger stared absentmindedly out of the cottage window. She had never been here before and though it had been her refuge for the past few hours, she did not feel comfortable. She was surrounded by people she called friends but their voices could not be further away. She looked through the darkened glass into the rapidly changing world outside. Magic protected her here, it protected all of them. It was the only thing that stood between them and certain death; magic and the ability of a person to keep a secret. Hermione had long ago learnt that most people could not be trusted. She kept her secrets to herself. It was the safest place for them to be.

She was roused from her thoughts when a gentle hand was placed on her shoulder and she looked up. Hermione blinked a few times. In the dim candle light the woman behind her startled her and she needed a few seconds to remind herself she was not being confronted by a ghost from her past. The striking resemblance to her deranged sister was something Andromeda Tonks was used to and when she saw the hesitation in Hermione's eyes she smiled. She had grown used to the fear that spread across a person's face whenever they laid eyes on her for the first time.

"Molly wondered where you'd gone," the dark haired witch smiled friendly. Hazel eyes searched Hermione's face. The dark rings under the brunette's eyes were unmistakable. The weight of the world pressed down on shoulders too young to carry the burden. Andromeda was a clever woman. Having raised Nymphadora there were very few things she missed. She had sensed Hermione's troubled mind from the moment she arrived with Molly and Ginny Weasley earlier that evening. "Is everything allright, Hermione?"

"Yes, I'm quite fine," Hermione answered as the initial fear filled adrenaline rush wore off. Her eyes darted around the small yet cosy living room of Andromeda's cottage as if she was looking for an escape. Being around the older witch made her uncomfortable but she did not want Andromeda to know. "I've got a headache and I am afraid that Molly's rambling isn't quite the cure I had in mind." She apologetically glanced at Andromeda. "The door was open…"

Andromeda smiled and her hand slipped from Hermione's shoulder. She was a mother as well as a skilled Legillimens, something that not many people knew. It was a trait she had inherited as a little girl and a trait that went back generations in her family. Both things added together made that she could sense Hermione's lie. Understanding that the young Gryffindor did not want to talk about what was troubling her she quietly nodded. "You can lie down upstairs if you want. I have a spare bedroom. You can return to the Burrow in the morning."

"Thank you but I'm sure I'll get through the last hour," Hermione answered. Her eyes drifted to the large clock on the wall. It was just after eleven o'clock. "The party's supposed to finish at midnight."

Andromeda's eyes also drifted to the window and like Hermione she gazed out into the night. "Seems strange," she mused. For a second Hermione thought she could see disapproval in the older woman's eyes. "A party during these dark times."

Hermione couldn't agree more. Not only did the idea of wedding seem completely inappropriate but the thought of a stag party was perhaps even worse. Fleur had insisted she did not want a party to celebrate her last night as a single woman and had instead chosen to spend a quiet evening with her parents and her sister. Bill was at the Burrow with all the men, drinking Firewhisky and Butterbeer. Hermione couldn't imagine anyone enjoying any form of party whilst knowing people were dying out there, in the real world, every night. She had heard Molly say there was a need for celebrations and smiles, to be reminded there were plenty of good things in the world too. Hermione thought it meaningless. All the good things died.

"There is no shame in it, you know," Andromeda said unexpectedly and her hazel eyes caught Hermione's. She looked bewildered.

"In what?"

"In admitting that whenever you look at me you see my sister," Andromeda said softly. Her voice was strangely hollow but her gaze lingered on Hermione a little longer. It was as if the words once held a meaning they had since lost. "Nymphadora told me what happened at the Ministry two years ago. It was one of the rare occasions she spoke to me about her work. She was upset. She told me how my sister killed her own cousin."

Hermione opened her words to answer but she could not think of the words. Instead her eyes wandered around the room once again and came to a rest on the fireplace. A single photo frame stood on the mantelpiece. The picture was turned towards her and in the dim candle light Hermione could make out free figures sitting around what looked like a large tree. She walked away from the window and across the room, feeling Andromeda's eyes in her back. When she reached the fireplace she picked up the frame and held it in her hands. Delicate fingers traced the yellow image behind the glass.

Three almost identical looking young women looked up into the camera. All three knelt neatly in the grass, their skirts covering their ankles. Smiles played around their lips but it was their eyes Hermione was most interested in. She stared at the woman to the right. Her face was one that Hermione would never forget and the raven black curls were a stark contrast against the woman's porcelain skin tone. A younger Bellatrix Lestrange smiled up at Hermione.

"Her eyes aren't dead in this one," Hermione said and showed Andromeda the picture. "In all the pictures I have seen her eyes are dead. But here she smiles. She is alive."

"It was a long time ago," Andromeda sadly smiled and gently took the picture from Hermione's hand. Their fingers brushed against each other and Hermione felt a warm shiver creep down her spine. Andromeda did not look at the image from her past and put the picture back on the mantelpiece. "I am unable to part with it. Not many people understand why I choose to keep it." She looked at Hermione. "Come. I'll make us some tea. Molly and Ginny will come looking for us soon."

Hermione quietly followed Andromeda out of the living room and turned around in the doorway for one last time. She looked at the picture of Bellatrix, storing the image safely in her mind. She never wanted to forget that smile. She wanted to forget what Bellatrix had done, what she had destroyed, but she wanted to remember what she had once been. A teenage girl, not much older than she was now, kneeling in the grass on a summer's day. Hermione turned her back to the photo and followed Andromeda into the kitchen. The dark haired witch was boiling the water in the kettle with a dark blue flame that illuminated the tip of her wand. Ginny and Molly sat at the kitchen table. An empty bottle of wine and two glasses stood in front of them.

"Harry just sent a message saying that everyone's gone home," Ginny said. Hermione could hear the lilt of alcohol in her voice. Barely old enough to drink Hermione wondered if Molly had let her daughter drink the wine with the idea that by tomorrow they could all be dead. Nobody was holding back on anything anymore. Time had become too precious and nothing was to be taken for granted. "We'll be going soon."

"Good," Hermione said softly as she sank down on one of the kitchen chairs and watched Andromeda from the corner of her eye. "I'm ready for bed."

"Harry said that Bill and Ron were drinking a lot. Apparently Lupin told them to take it easy but Ron tried to pick a fight," Ginny said. She leant lazily against her mother's shoulder. Molly looked tired, Hermione thought. She knew how frightened the older woman was about what lay ahead of them. Hermione shared that fear.

"What else is new? Ron is always picking fights." Hermione shrugged and with a smile she took the steaming mug of tea from Andromeda. Their eyes briefly met and Hermione realised for the first time that Andromeda's eyes were kinder and much softer, than Bellatrix's charcoal orbs had been. She held her gaze for another second before averting her eyes. She sipped the hot tea and feeling the warm liquid spread through her body took away some of her confusion.

Another half an hour later and Hermione, Ginny and Molly were standing around Andromeda's fireplace, ready to go. Hermione had insisted to go first, because she was the only one sober so she could keep an eye on Ginny and Molly making it home safe. After Apparition, the Floo Network was the quickest method of transportation but both became increasingly challenging once a witch or wizard was under the influence of alcohol.

She stepped into the green flames, took a small handful of Floo Powder and dropped it into the roaring fire. She spoke loud and clear. "The Burrow!"

Seconds later the Weasley living room came into view and Hermione stepped out of the Burrow's fireplace and brushed the fine layer of ashes and dust of her clothes. The first thing she noticed was how quiet the house was. She didn't hear a single voice. Not even a creaking floorboard. She wondered whether all the men had gone to bed. The next thing she noticed was the roaring flames behind her and she turned around just in time to see Ginny and Molly appear together, their arms linked. The two redheads stepped out of the fire and they said goodnight before going their separate ways. Hermione decided to stay downstairs for just a little while longer. There were few moments where the Burrow was actually quiet. She wanted to enjoy it while it lasted.

She sat by the fire for a while, flipping through that evenings edition of the Daily Prophet. More stories of murdered Muggles, of families moving out and of random attacks by Voldemort's Death Eaters. Pictures of wanted Death Eaters were printed on every page and Hermione felt her heart freeze when she saw the picture of Bellatrix Lestrange. It was printed next to a small article telling the gruesome tale of a young witch being tortured with the Cruciatus Curse, Bellatrix's trademark. The poor thing was in St Mungo's but the Healers were not sure whether she was going to survive her injuries.

Hermione put down the paper when she heard the front door open and close and looked up to find Ron stumbling into the living room. It was clear to see he was drunk. He bumped into the table, tripped over his shoelace and then slumped down on the sofa next to Hermione. It was as if he only then became aware of her and with glazed eyes he looked up to the brunette.

"'Mione," he said, slurring his speech. "Do you know how beautiful you are?"

"You're drunk, Ronald," Hermione said dismissively when Ron reached out to touch her arm. "Go to bed."

"But really," Ron began again. She could smell the Firewhisky on his breath. "You are…"

"Ron, stop it!" Hermione said when his fingers closed around her wrist and he tried to pull her nearer. She fought to free herself from his grip but he didn't let her go. She realised, horrified, that he was leaning in with the intention to kiss her and she placed her free hand against his chest and pushed him away. He moved backwards and then looked at her. The glazed look had been replaced by anger.

"Why won't you kiss me?" he asked. His fingers were still closed around her wrist. Even as she tried to writhe free he wasn't letting go. "Don't you love me, 'Mione?"

"No, Ron," she said. The pain in her wrist was getting worse and she sighed. "Just let me go! You're hurting me. Go to bed. You'll have forgotten about all of this in the morning."

"But I love you," Ron said and without warning he moved forward and his lips roughly collided with hers. She felt the bile rise in her stomach when she tasted the alcohol on them. He reeked. He tried to force her mouth open with his tongue and she struggled to move away from him. She lost her balance and fell backwards. His weight shifted and Ron landed on top of her. Instinctively she reached up to push him off but he was too heavy. He was no longer the skinny ginger kid from their first year at Hogwarts. Ron was a strong, muscular young man now and he was stronger than she was.

"Ron, please!" Hermione begged as his lips moved from her lips to her cheeks. She felt her body stiffen up when the hand that wasn't holding down her arm trailed up her stomach and encountered the swell of her breasts. As he squeezed she yelped and he pulled back. Hovering over her like a hungry predator about to attack its prey she saw something in his eyes she had never seen before. There was a darkness she had never expected to see.

"Oh come on, 'Mione. Harry's been saying you fancy me. How about a little snog, eh?" he grinned. It wasn't his usual grin. It was a dark, twisted and evil grin.

"No! You're hurting… Ouch! Just... Get off me!" Hermione tried to push him away again but he wasn't shifting. Instead his fingers closed around her wrist tighter and he tried to pull her up he could kiss her. When she wasn't giving in she felt him move his body weight and realised too late that he had pushed himself between her legs. She was trapped underneath him. "Ron, please… Please don't do this… You're drunk… Just…." He pressed down against her and she realised in shock that he was turned on. She could feel his erection press against her jeans. "OUCH! NO!"

Her body shut down completely when his lips found hers again. She let him kiss her. She let him touch her. She tried to move away from him but she couldn't. There was nowhere to go. She tried to slip out from under his grip but he wasn't letting to. The drunken stupor had overwhelmed him and it was about to crash down on her. She lay motionless as she felt his hands slide up under her jumper and slip behind her bra. The pinching of her nipples felt like a violation and she cried quietly as she felt him unzip his jeans before pulling down hers. Exploring fingers touched her in places where he never should have been. She bit down in one of the cushions on the sofa when his swollen manhood entered her and she allowed him to pull up her legs as he thrusted deeper into her. A low groan filled her ears as his roaming hands violated her body over and over again. The pain was overwhelming. The tears lashed against her skin and she felt her heart shatter in her chest. Something inside of her died.

She stared at the wall as the tears streamed quietly down her face. The stench of alcohol made her sick. She could taste the vomit in the back of her mouth and suppressed a gag when his fingertips brushed across her lips. With every thrust he hurt her more. She quietly begged for it to end. She wished for herself to die. All she wanted was for this to be over. For the darkness of the night to come and swallow her up, to take her away into another world full of shadows where none of this existed. She wished someone, anyone, would walk in and find them. That someone would pull him away from her. But no one came. They were alone. And she was lost. Broken. Forever torn apart.

He finished with a low moan and his lips pressed firmly onto her own. She felt him empty himself inside of her and he lay on top of her, panting, for a little while before finally moving and zipping up his jeans. He leant in to kiss her forehead and seemed untouched by the fact there were tears on her cheeks and he could taste the salt on his lips.

"I love you, 'Mione," he said as he let a brown ringlet run through his fingers. The touch could have been so easily mistaken for gentle or loving. But this was the caress of a drunk who did not know what it was he had done. Who, by dawn, would not remember the devastation he had caused. He kissed her forehead. "That was amazing."

He was unfazed by how she pulled up her jeans without looking at him and curled up into a ball when he left her on the sofa. He tripped over the coffee table as he staggered out of the room and Hermione heard his footsteps up the stairs, missing steps as he made his way up. Soon the sound died out. She was alone once more. The quietness in the living room returned and all she could hear were her own quiet sobs and the soft sound of the flames dancing their midnight dance in the fireplace.

She feared the moment dawn would break. He would not remember. She would never be able to forget.


	2. One Step From Hell

**A/N: **Thanks for all the reviews so far. I am so glad to see so many of you have stuck around! My answer as to why Hermione didn't fight harder (or use magic) against Ron in the previous chapter; some rape victims completely shut down, which basically means they withdraw inside themselves. Those are often the victims that afterwards blame themselves because they didn't fight back. These are also often the victims of which other people cannot understand why they didn't put up a fight. I suppose until you have been in a situation like it, you don't know what you'd do. Anyway, here we meet my beloved Bellatrix and we find that Hermione as well as Bellatrix has a whole different way of coping with what happened.

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**Chapter 2**

"**One Step From Hell"**

The sound of the rain lashing against the windows did not erase the dark thoughts in her head. She still lay on the sofa where he had raped her, curled up into a ball with her knees pulled up to her chest. She stared into the small flames in the fireplaces. The tears had dried on her cheeks, leaving behind the burning red tracks. She had no idea what time it was. It was still dark outside. The rain had started what felt like ages ago. Thunder rumbled somewhere in the distance, high over her head. It wasn't' until she heard the footsteps on the stairs that she sat up. Nervous eyes darted towards the door and she heaved a sigh when she found Ginny walking into the living room.

"Why aren't you in bed?" the redhead asked as she sat down beside her friend on the sofa. Inquisitive eyes searched the brunette's face. "Hermione, are you crying?"

"I just want to be alone, Gin," Hermione said and tried to keep her face hidden from her friend. She didn't want Ginny to see her like this. She didn't want anyone to see her like this. They would only ask questions she wasn't ready to answer. And she didn't want to destroy the tiny fragment of hope her friend still had left. "Just go back to bed, OK? I'll be up soon…"

"Are you sick? Do I need to get mum?" Ginny stood up, ready to go back upstairs and fetch Mrs Weasley.

"NO!" Hermione cried out and her unexpected outburst startled Ginny. She had swung her legs over the side of the sofa and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. There was little point in keep trying to hide the tear tracks. "No. Don't get your mum. Please."

"You have been crying," Ginny observed the clear tear marks on her friend's cheek. She folded her arms across her chest and cocked her head and somewhat dark look filled her eyes. "Allright, just tell me. What as my idiot brother done this time?"

The mere mention of Ron made it feel like someone reached deep into her chest, tore out her heart and shattered it on the floor in front of her. She couldn't talk about it. Hermione couldn't tell Ginny what had happened a few hours earlier. She knew she couldn't tell anyone. How could they ever believe her? How could she ever believe this had actually happened? Ron, a rapist? It was just another cruel reminder of how the world had gone to hell. Everything was just too screwed up for something even remotely good and beautiful to survive.

She swallowed hard and averted her eyes. The words hurt as they left her lips. "It's nothing, Gin. Really. Just go to bed. You drank half that bottle of wine. You probably shouldn't even be down here right now."

"Someone needs to talk to Ron. He can't go round hurting you like this all the time," Ginny shook her head in disbelief. She couldn't be closer to the truth but Hermione knew her friend would never guess what had happened. Yes, Ron had hurt her. He had broken her. Torn her apart. Destroyed her. In a few minutes he had done what not even Voldemort' Death Eaters had managed to do. "Sometimes I wonder how mom and dad managed to raise such a moron."

Hermione didn't answer. Just talking about Ron sent her stomach turning and she just hoped, prayed, she could stop herself from being sick all over the living room floor. There probably wasn't anything left in her stomach to come out. She had already vomited twice. A simple flick of her wand had dealt with the mess. She just didn't want it to happen again. Ginny would go and fetch her mother and she would have to explain. A shiver crept down her spine as she thought about facing Mrs Weasley. She wasn't sure whether she could. She protectively wrapped her arms around herself.

"Don't bother," Hermione sighed as she suppressed her gag reflex. "I must have eaten something that didn't agree with me earlier at Andromeda's. Just leave me for a while, OK? Go back to bed. I don't want to talk about it now."

Ginny's eyes narrowed and she took an unexpected step in her friend's direction. The youngest Weasley had never been one to let things slide easily. As Ginny moved closer to Hermione she spotted the large bruise on the brunette's wrist. Anger flickered behind her eyes when she looked back up and found Hermione's tired eyes. The simple question betrayed her fury. "Hermione, has he _hurt _you?"

"I said it's nothing," Hermione hissed as she took a step backwards. "Just leave me alone, OK?"

"What happened?" Ginny demanded.

"Nothing!" Hermione snapped and before Ginny had a chance to reply Hermione had bolted past her and ran through the dining room towards the front door. The sound of her boots echoed off the wooden floor but she no longer cared about who she was waking up. Somewhere upstairs a door opened. There was only one thing she could think of doing. She had to get away from here. Away from the room she was in, away from these walls that trapped her. She needed to get outside. She didn't want to feel anymore.

Ginny followed her and Hermione spun around in the open door, finding her friend standing a few steps behind her. Ginny was wide eyed with shock written across her face. Outside the rain was pouring down and another dangerous low rumble announced that heavy thunder was imminent. An unexpected flash of lightening shot across the ink black sky, briefly illuminating Hermione's pained expression.

"What are you doing? You can't go outside! It's raining and…." Ginny hesitated. She seemed torn between following Hermione out into the rain or raising her voice for someone to hear her and come to help. She walked around the table in an attempt to reach her friend but Hermione took a step backwards. She was out of the door now. The only thing that protected her from the violent rain and the storm outside was the little canopy over her head. "What if the Death Eaters find you? Dad said we can't go anywhere unless we're together!"

Hermione shook her head. "I don't care anymore."

"What? But why?" Ginny asked, not understanding Hermione's sudden breakdown. "You have to help Harry destroy You-Know-Who. He can't do this without you! He needs you and Ron. No matter how much he thinks he can do it alone, he can't! He needs you, Hermione!"

She swallowed and the tears welled up in her eyes. "I'll deal with that when the times comes. I just need to get out. Away from here. Away from…" She couldn't say his name. She chewed on her bottom lip and a soft sob escaped from her throat. "I need to think."

"Out there? What could there possibly be to think about out there?" Ginny pointed at the heavy rain.

"I'll know when I find it," Hermione answered and she turned around. Without looking back she stepped away from the protection of the canopy and almost immediately the rain completely drenched her. Her clothes stuck to her body and wet strands of hair stuck to her forehead. She began walking, further and further into the rain and into the storm and away from the Burrow. She could hear Ginny call her name behind her but her friend's voice was soon swallowed up by the overpowering sound of the rain.

She walked as far as her body could manage in the pouring rain and without any protection. She had no coat. All she had was her wand. It was tucked safely inside her sleeve. Her lungs pressed against her ribcage and the pressure only grew with every step she took. It hurt to walk. Her muscles were sore and her legs were weak. Physical exhaustion kicked in quicker than she had thought. But every step further away from the Burrow still did not feel far enough. She walked until she reached the narrow country lane she knew led into the village. The Weasleys lived in the middle of the countryside. The road was the only way in or out by car, unless you had more magical means of transportation. She was tired. She needed to sleep but she did not dare close her eyes.

Instead she called up the only other image she could think that perhaps provide some safety without people asking questions. Clutching her wand Hermione turned on the spot and with a quiet 'pop' she disappeared into the night. She was long gone when the desperate voices of her friends reached the spot where she had vanished from and their cries for her to return died out in the pouring rain.

She found herself standing in one of the narrow side streets leading of Diagon Alley. Hermione muttered a soft incantation that dried her clothes and the comfortable warmth seeped through the fabric into her skin and eventually into her bones. She stopped shivering and slowly she stepped out of the passage out onto the cobbled alley way. Diagon Alley looked deserted and she felt an uneasy feeling creep up on her. Most of the shop windows were dark. Others were covered with wooden boards and a few bore the signs of fire. Broken glass littered the street. There was nobody else here but her and she took a few seconds to orientate herself before turning left and headed towards the Leaky Cauldron. It wasn't the safest place on Earth to be but it was better than being out on the streets.

She turned another corner and came to an unexpected halt. From the opposite direction two shadows approached, growing larger as they came nearer. Hermione's heart pounded in her chest and she reached for her wand, even though she knew that if they were Death Eaters she would be as good as lost. She took a deep breath and pressed herself against the cold brick wall of what had once been Ollivander's wand shop. The shadows swallowed her up and she hoped that the darkness was enough to mask her presence. The sound footsteps came closer and she tried to catch a glimpse of the hooded figures' faces. She suppressed a gasp when an unexpected beam of moonlight fell across their faces.

Dark eyes lay deep into a pale face. The years in Azkaban had robbed her from most of her beauty but Bellatrix Lestrange still held some of her former grace. A few raven ringlets fell in front of her face, creating a somewhat childlike appearance. Ruby coloured lips stood out against the soft tones of her porcelain skin. Hermione was once again amazed by how something so evil could still be breathtakingly beautiful. It was yet another reminder that the world really was unfair. Evil things were supposed to be ugly. Bellatrix was not.

She recognised the second figure too. A few inches taller than Bellatrix and dressed in a more expensive robe she did not need a second glance to recognise him. There was only one family whose hair was so blonde. Lucius Malfoy flanked his sister in law and twirled his wand through his fingers as if he was bored. Intense grey eyes were fixed on nothing in particular. There was very little, if anything, to like about Lucius Malfoy. Hermione thought he was a stuck up, arrogant and narrow minded fool. Traits his son Draco, who was in her year at Hogwarts, had inherited. Like father, like son. Two idiots alike.

Hermione just hoped they wouldn't see her. She couldn't think of two worse people to come across on a dark, rainy night like tonight than Bellatrix Lestrange and Lucius Malfoy. Her heart was beating so loudly that she thought they could hear it. She followed them with her eyes as they strolled past. They didn't speak to each other. If anything it looked like they were almost resenting the fact they were in each other's company. Hermione remembered that Bellatrix wasn't particularly fond of her brother-in-law. She watched in silence as the two Death Eaters were now walking right by her, just a few steps from where she was hiding. Both seemed unaware someone was watching them. She was about to let her breath escape when they had walked on and were a few metres away from her when a sudden flash of red light shot her way. Instinctively she raised her wand and the spell deflected and crashed into a window of a shop opposite. The glass shattered.

"Aha!" Bellatrix cried out and she sprinted back to where Hermione still hid in the shadows. She aimed her wand at the darkness, ready to cast another hex. "I knew someone was here. Come out, you dirty little rat!"

Hermione didn't hesitate and stepped forward. As she emerged from the shadows she watched the surprise spread across Bellatrix's face. Charcoal eyes suddenly lit up as the dark witch realised who had stepped out of the darkness. The corners of her lips curled up. "Well well well, if it isn't Harry Potter's little Mudblood friend…"

Hermione no longer cringed at that word. "Bellatrix…"

"Hold your tongue!" Bellatrix shrieked and whipped her wand. Hermione felt her voice die in the back of her throat. Bellatrix had used a silencing spell. She was almost disappointed by the simplicity of it. It seemed hardly good enough for a Death Eater of her skill. "How_ dare_ you speak to me?"

"Potter's Mudblood friend?" Lucius had reached Bellatrix's side. If he was annoyed over the fact Bellatrix had sensed Hermione's presence and he hadn't, he wasn't showing it. He eyed up the young brunette standing in front of Bellatrix and a disdainful smirk spread across his face. He and Hermione had run into each other on numerous occasions. He hated her. The hatred was mutual. "Is she alone?"

"Do you see anybody else, Lucius?" Bellatrix snapped and Lucius was left with his mouth open, lost for words. It was rather ungracious. "If her stupid little friends were here they would have come out by now." She scrutinized Hermione's face. "Of course she is alone." With the tip of her wand she lifted up Hermione's chin, forcing the girl to look at her. "Now why would a little Mudblood like you come out in the middle of the night, on her own?"

_Finite Incantatem._

"Because I can," Hermione answered defensively and Bellatrix was seemingly impressed by her ability to silently overturn her spell. She didn't know where her courage had come from or why she had even spoken out loud. Her eyes briefly darted down to Bellatrix's wand. She knew what that thing could do. She knew what it had done. And strangely enough she felt no fear about being on the receiving end of it this time. She lifted her head up with pride. "The last time I checked it wasn't illegal to wander the streets at night."

"Illegal, no…" Bellatrix lisped and withdrew her wand from under Hermione's chin. Dark eyes narrowed. "But dangerous… Yes…"

It happened too quickly.

"CRUCIO!" Bellatrix's cackle echoed through the rainy night. "Crucio! CRUCIO!"

Hermione collapsed to the ground and her body almost immediately succumbed to the involuntary jerking and twitching. She rolled up into a ball but it did not stop the overwhelming pain. It was as if someone cut her open inch by inch and dripped acid into her veins. The pain in her head built up until she reached for her forehead and started pulling at her own hair in a desperate attempt to get rid of it. Strands of brown hair were wound around her fingers. Burning tears chased down her cheeks and the images that flooded back into her mind were the very same images she had tried to escape by running away tonight. She felt Ron again, on top of her, inside of her. His alcohol tainted lips on hers, his hands violating over and over again. She heard his exclamation of love in her ears, like a haunting echo. She heard his voice, saw his face, and remembered his eyes. She could smell him, feel him, taste him. The memory of him climaxing inside of her was the moment her stomach emptied itself across the cobbled alley way. A heart breaking cry escaped her throat.

"Wait…" Bellatrix suddenly said and she lowered her wand. Lucius had stepped in, wanting to take part in the torture of the young woman that writhed at his sister-in-law's feet, but Bellatrix's fingers closed around his arm and forced his wand away. Curious eyes inspected the still heaving Hermione and she shook her head. "Something's wrong."

"Wrong? What do you mean, wrong? There is nothing wrong!" Lucius objected and tried to push past Bellatrix.

"Silence, you fool!" Bellatrix bit in his direction and she aimed her wand at him. He took a hesitant step back. "Mind your tone, Lucius, or my sister might very well be a widow when dawn breaks."

Hermione found enough strength to push herself onto her hands and knees and reached into the pool of water beside her. Her wand had slipped out of her sleeve and she safely took it into her hand. She ached. The pain was nothing like anything she had ever experienced before. She managed to look over her shoulder and found Bellatrix circling her until she stood still right in front of her. The dark haired witch cocked her head.

"I saw the images in her head," she said with a strangely low voice. Hermione realised immediately that Bellatrix had seen the memories of Ron raping her. "It wasn't _my _pain she was experiencing." She reached out and roughly pulled Hermione onto her feet. She was soaking wet, covered in vomit and blood dripped from her nose. Strands of wet hair stuck to her forehead. A twisted smirk spread across Bellatrix's face. "The ginger kid fucked her."

Lucius suppressed a gag. "Those damned Weasleys are a disgrace. Blood traitors."

"Ah but she didn't _like_ it," Bellatrix pushed a little harder. She began circling Hermione once again, never taking her eyes off the girl. Hermione followed Bellatrix with her eyes. "Isn't that true, you filthy little Mudblood? Did he finally see you for what you are? Worthless and dirty?" She came to a stop right in front of Hermione. Dark eyes pierced into hazel brown. "I think you liked it, really. You liked it when he pushed deep inside." A single angry tear chased down Hermione's cheek. Bellatrix cackled softly. "Did he leave you afterwards? Did he wash his hands because he had touched your filthy body?"

"Stop," Hermione was surprised by her own plea. She wanted the images to go away. She wanted it to end. But Bellatrix forced her to relive it over and over again. Every word felt like Ron raping her. Again. And again. Endlessly. The words hurt more than the Cruciatus Curse had done. "Just…. Stop…."

"Is that how you begged him? With that pathetic little voice?" Bellatrix taunted her. Her face came closer to that of the brunette girl. So close that Hermione could see every eye lash as well as feel her hot breath. "No, you didn't. You let him fuck you. You let him because you are just a filthy little whore and he saw his chance…"

"NO!" Hermione suddenly cried out. It was overwhelming. Like an fire that had suddenly been lit inside of her and the all-consuming flames destroyed whatever was left of her. Her arm shot up. The tip of her wand made contact with Bellatrix's chest. And as the curse slipped from her lips she caught the grin that spread across the Death Eaters face. "CRUCIO!"

Bellatrix landed a few feet away from Hermione, on her back, in a mess of black robes and tangled limbs. Lucius responded almost immediately and rushed to her side, aiming his wand at Hermione as he did so. But Bellatrix just pushed herself up on her arms and dark eyes glistened with something that could only be described as lust and hunger. She pushed Lucius away and stared at Hermione. The words left her lips in a quiet whisper but loud enough to be heard. "You have to mean it."

It was as if a poison had seeped into her blood. Her wand burnt in her hand and the felt the electric in her veins. It spread through her, numbing out whatever pain she still felt. Hermione was numb. She felt nothing. Destroyed, broken and torn apart. All that was left was a shell of the girl she had once been. She aimed her wand again and with almost a hint of distorted pride she cried the spell again. The red flash of light crashed into Bellatrix's chest and this time the dark haired witch's body seized up and began to shake.

Hermione watched almost in amusement how Bellatrix tried to fight her curse. She didn't remove her wand and kept it fixed on the older woman's seizing form. A silver beam of moonlight broke through the deck of black clouds and illuminated her face, highlighting the broken features and the hollow eyes. The second Bellatrix cried out in sheer pain Hermione felt something in her chest. Something dull and realised that it was her heart was it froze. She felt cold inside. There was nothing left of her. In one night everything she had once been had died. She carelessly withdrew her wand and Bellatrix's body stopped convulsing.

The female Death Eater needed less time than Hermione to recover and pushed herself up. Staggering onto her feet and seeking her balance for just a few seconds, intense charcoal eyes searched for Hermione's now hollow brown. Ruby lips curled up into a smile and Bellatrix reached for Lucius arm.

"Come," she said, her fingers closing around Lucius' wrist. "We must leave."

"Leave?" Lucius asked, not quite understanding why they weren't taking Hermione with them. "But why?"

"You'll understand soon enough" Bellatrix said sharply and cast a final glance at the forlorn shape of Hermione Granger. In a flash she saw the outcome of what had happened here tonight. The rain started falling again and it poured down on the girl's broken frame. "Our work here is done."

The Death Eaters disappeared into a cloud of black smoke and Hermione was left alone in the pouring rain.


	3. Solace

**A/N: **I now have a plot for this story that will turn this story into an epic magical battle. Enjoy chapter 3.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

"**Solace"**

Dawn had broken by the time she climbed the last hill. There lay the Burrow, surrounded by its cornfields and the acres of grass. There was the orchard where she and Harry and Ron had played throughout the years. First as children, later as teenagers who had seen too much to remember what it was like to be a child. The sky was still packed with thick grey clouds. The rain had stopped early that morning but the grass she walked on was still soggy. Her boots and jeans were covered in mud. Her heart beat calmly in her chest. Almost too calmly perhaps. She stood on top of the hill, the wind in her hair and her eyes empty. Ahead of her lay the one place she knew she had to return to. At least for now.

She had spent the rest of the night at the Leaky Cauldron. The barman had been a wizard she didn't know. He hadn't asked questions, she had not provided answers. Instead he had given her the bottle of Firewhisky after her first glass. She had been alone and the relatively warmth of the fire had allowed her to think about what had happened outside in the alley. Bellatrix Lestrange had tried to torture her. It was what the dark haired Death Eater did best. But it was what she had done afterwards that played on Hermione's mind. She had allowed Hermione to take out her pain and frustrations out on her. She had smiled as Hermione had inflicted the Cruciatus Curse on her. She had laughed as she had dragged her still shaking body up from the wet cobbles. And Hermione still relished in the sheer enjoyment of what she had done. For a few moments she had been free.

Taking a last deep breath and sucking in the fresh air, Hermione started the climb down the hill. She could smell the rain in the air and dew drops still glistened on the grass. A remarkable scene of innocence in a world that was rapidly dying. She held her gaze fixed on the Weasley home as she crossed the last few metres through the damp grass and found the narrow path that led through the corn fields. The branches rustled mysteriously as she walked past them and eventually she reached the front door. Before she could knock it swung open and revealed Molly Weasley.

"Oh thank heavens you're allright!" the red haired woman exclaimed and she grabbed Hermione by her shoulders and dragged her into the kitchen before enveloping her into a snug embrace. Hermione stood motionless and did not wrap her arms around Mrs Weasley in return. When the older woman let go of her she searched her face. "Where have you been? What were you thinking? You could have died!"

"Give her a break, Molly," said a far more comforting voice behind Mrs Weasley and Hermione's eyes snapped up. In the dimly lit kitchen Andromeda looked too much like Bellatrix and Hermione found herself stepping past Molly Weasley and towards Andromeda. "She must have had a good reason to run away. Just be glad she came home safely."

Hermione didn't speak but found a strange sense of safety as she stood close to Andromeda. The sound of thundering footsteps announced that more people were on their way and Hermione's eyes nervously darted to the door. Ginny was first to appear, closely followed by Harry and Ron was last. Seeing him sent a cold shiver down her spine and Hermione instinctively reached for her wand. She couldn't explain why. Hs eyes found hers and she stared at him, blankly, looking for any sign that he remembered. From the way he averted his eyes she guessed there was something of a memory there but not enough. If there had been, he wouldn't have dared to be in the same room with her.

"Hermione!" said Harry and he too hugged her.

Still she did not respond. She did not return the hug. Her arms hung motionless by the side of her body. She had not slept. She had been up all night, drinking Firewhisky and staring into the dancing flames in the fireplace back at the Cauldron. She did not feel tired. She did not feel anything. It was as if something had snuck inside of her and switched off her ability to feel.

"You look like hell," Ginny observed and Hermione cast her look.

"You don't look too good yourself."

"We were out looking for you for most of the night," Ginny said sharply. "Mum was frantic. What were you thinking? Where did you go?"

"London," Hermione said calmly. She glanced up at Andromeda. "Like I said, I needed time to think."

"You should go and take a bath," Andromeda said softly. She sensed something had changed but she couldn't figure out the brunette's mind. Hermione was quiet and withdrawn and it was almost as if there was nothing to read in her mind at all. "Molly, I'm just going to take Hermione up to the bathroom. Someone should keep an eye on her."

Molly was about to object. Undoubtedly she would argue that she should be the one looking after Hermione, as she was almost like a daughter to her. But Andromeda shook her head. "You have a lot of hungry mouths to feed this morning, Molly. Everyone's been up for most of the night. I'm sure me and Hermione will be just fine, won't we?"

Hermione shrugged. She didn't speak but silently followed Andromeda up the stairs. Once they were safely out of hearing range from any of the Weasleys the dark haired witch turned around. Hermione searched her face for a trace of Bellatrix; for that twisted glimmer of hope she had felt in the night. Andromeda's eyes were too soft, to kind, and her voice not was raw and harsh. But her lips… they were the same.

"I know I have only met you a few times and I probably don't have the right to tell you off but what you did last night was completely irresponsible," Andromeda said calmly. She took in the blank expression on Hermione's face. Gone were the torn emotions she had seen flickering behind her eyes the night before. Gone was the girl she had seen. "They had the whole Order looking out for you and when the sun began to rise this morning Molly was convinced you were dead."

She _was_ dead. Inside.

"You do understand that you owe them an explanation?" Andromeda continued. She felt slightly uneasy over the fact that Hermione seemed to stare right through her. It was as if she was only a shell, an empty case of the young woman she had seen before. Her eyes were hollow and her skin was pale and seemed paper thin. Dark rings had appeared around her eyes and she had aged a lot in just one night. Something had happened that brought out this change in her. Andromeda's eyes narrowed. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"No," Hermione said bluntly. "I don't."

"Fair enough," Andromeda said and Hermione cast her a curious glance. She had not expected the older woman to give up so easily. Having seen what her sister was capable of doing it seemed strange that Andromeda backed off so quickly. "You should go and take your bath now. I will wait for you in your room."

Hermione wondered why Andromeda was protecting her, and from what. She had stepped in between her and Molly Weasley and now saw to it none of the other Weasleys could get to her without having to go through Andromeda forced. She quietly nodded and stepped into the small Weasley bathroom. With a flick of her wand she turned on the taps, chose some purple bubbles and turned to the mirror as she began to undress herself. Peeling away the fabric from her skin she revealed the bruises left behind by Bellatrix's short but brief attack. Dark purple bruises covered most of her back as well as her chest and stomach and there were some scratches on her arm. Five perfect finger marks stood out on her wrist where Ron had held her down and when she lowered her gaze she found some bright red grazes between her legs. Some dried blood stuck to the inside of her thigh.

Hermione winced as she stepped into the warm water and slowly let her body sink into the bubbles. Slowly, and for the first time since the events of the previous night, she closed her eyes. Almost immediately she was back in Diagon Alley, facing Bellatrix Lestrange. She felt the power of her own wand again, from her arm all the way down to her fingertips. She had never before performed an Unforgivable Curse but last night she had done it. Not once but twice. And she couldn't deny how it had made her feel. She had _enjoyed_ it. She had felt strong, excited and in control. Everything that Ron had taken away from her. Everything that life itself had stolen had returned to her in just one gesture.

She remained in the bath for nearly an hour and the water had gone cold by the time she stepped out of the tub and wrapped one of the large bath towels around herself. Realising that her clothes were still in the bedroom she shared with Ginny she took a deep breath and left the bathroom. Hermione crossed the landing and stepped into her best friend's bedroom only to find Andromeda sitting on her bed. The older woman looked up and Hermione frowned.

"I am quite capable of getting dressed myself, you know," she said sharply and reached down to pick up the beaded purple bag that contained most of her belongings. The beauty of magic was that everything that had meant something to her was never far away; the purple bag held everything that was of some importance to her. She aimed her wand in the bag and quietly summoned some jeans, underwear and a jumper. Andromeda shyly turned away as Hermione got dressed but she looked back just in time to see the dark purple bruises disappear underneath the cream coloured fabric.

"What happened?" she breathed.

"Nothing," Hermione said as she readjusted the sleeve to make sure it covered the marks on her wrist. "What are you still doing here anyway?"

Andromeda looked hurt. "I assumed you'd rather have me keeping an eye on you than Molly but I can go and get her if you like…"

"No," Hermione answered quickly. Too quickly. "I'm sorry, Andy."

"Why did you run away?" Andromeda tried again.

Hermione reluctantly sank down on the bed and folded her hands in her lap. She couldn't quite explain why Andromeda made her feel so comfortable. She had known the Weasley's for years and yet the idea of being in the same room with her unnerved her. "Have you ever tried being Harry Potter's best friend?"

Andromeda swallowed and a little smile spread across her face. "I can't say that I have."

"Then I am afraid you can't even begin to understand," Hermione said softly. She wasn't sure how describe her relationship with Harry and Ron these days. Fractured was perhaps the most fitting. All Harry could think about was You-Know-Who and those damned Horcruxes. Ron didn't seem to think at all. "He and Ron… They are different. They're not like me."

"Now that is something I can agree with," Andromeda smiled.

Hermione heaved a sigh. "Times have changed."

Andromeda's eyes darted to the window. Even though it was early morning, grey mist pressed against the glass. There was little room for sunshine these days. Thick rainclouds had packed together in the sky once again. Soon more rain would come pouring down, attempting once again to wash away their resistance. She glanced back at Hermione and tried to change the subject. "Have you decided what you're wearing to the wedding yet?"

Hermione looked up, surprised at the sudden change of conversation. "I bought a dress in London last summer. I haven't had a chance to wear it yet. There is little reason for a party these days."

Andromeda smiled and stood up. She placed a kind hand on Hermione's shoulder. "I suppose you're right. Well, I'll go tell Molly you are perfectly allright. I'll see you tomorrow night then"

"Tomorrow night?" Hermione asked softly.

"The wedding," Andromeda reminded her and her eyes met Hermione's. "I expect to see you there, Hermione."

"You will," Hermione promised and watched as the dark haired witch left the bedroom. She pulled her legs up onto the bed and her eyes drifted to the window. She had forgotten the wedding was so close. Time seemed meaningless since last night. She stared through the glass and sighed. The Burrow was almost ready for the wedding and it seemed strangely quiet inside the house. The sound of footsteps had died down hours ago as everyone seemed to be outside helping with the preparations. Hermione felt her heart freeze when Ron walked into her line of vision. He looked up and saw her behind the glass. She wasn't sure what she could see in his eyes but she looked away and curled up on the bed. The tears came unexpectedly and didn't stop.

~()~

It was surprisingly easy to disappear in the mayhem that was a wedding. Hermione managed to avoid most of the Weasleys and the other guests arriving for most of the day and only emerged from the safety and comfort of Ginny's bedroom mere minutes before the actual ceremony. She descended down the stairs and made her way through the kitchen into the back garden. It was crowded with people and she did her best to avoid those she knew. She found a single empty seat on the second row, away from Harry and Ron. They seemed too preoccupied to notice she wasn't there. It didn't take her long to realise why. One of Fleur's cousins was a beautiful; and attractive girl, about their age. Ron's eyes were fixed on the slender blonde and Hermione resisted getting up and telling the girl to watch her back.

She sat through the ceremony staring at some of the little flowers in the grass. Only nearer the end did she become aware of someone on the opposite side of the aisle looking at her and she found Andromeda's eyes fixed on her. She vague smiled and the dark haired woman smiled back. She had used magic to hide the marks on her wrists and back and yet she had felt repulsed when she saw her own reflection in the mirror. The red dress clung to her curves and accented all the right places and yet she did not feel beautiful. She felt like the whole world could see what had happened to her. She felt nothing. Unlike most of the women around her she did not shed a tear and she was quick to move away from the crowd once the vows had been exchanged. The party started in the white tent and Hermione reluctantly mingled with some of the other party goers but did not speak to anyone.

She watched from a corner how Harry to spoke to some older gentleman who seemed to be wearing twenty coats at once. Ron was dancing with the blonde haired girl she had seen earlier and seemed to have forgotten Hermione was even there. The music played loudly and people laughed and joked. The sound of their voices rang empty in her mind. It meant nothing. Every so often she caught a glimpse of Andromeda, who seemed to enjoy the company of her husband, daughter and son-in-law. Hermione had only seen Ted once or twice before. He looked remarkably normal and reminded her of her own father. He was Muggle born after all. In a way he was like her.

There was a high pitched cry and Hermione's eyes darted towards the dance floor. The dancing had stopped and the music faded out. A small silver ball floated a few inches from the floor and fine beams of light extended from it and they began to form shapes and faces. The face of fear as people fled for their lives and the face of death as they tumbled down and fell, their lives forever gone. The deep voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt echoed around the tent and Hermione felt a cold shiver creep down her spine.

"_The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming._"

The panic was instant. People began Dissaparating left, right and centre and screams penetrated her ears. Hermione didn't realise what her eyes were looking for when she desperately started searching for something she could rely on. She caught a glimpse of Andromeda, disappearing in the crowd, and almost called out of her name. It died on her lips when there was a bright flash of light and a figure appeared in front of her. An ugly looking Death Eater spun around and attempted to hex a witch Hermione didn't know. More Death Eaters arrived and more desperate cries and screams erupted.

Harry and Ron came running towards her and Hermione froze. As if in slow motion she watched them come closer. Fear and desperation flickered in their eyes and Ron extended his hand. She knew what she was supposed to do. She knew she was supposed to go with them. To take his hand and trust them. But her trust was gone. And so she turned around and sprinted away from the approaching young men and disappeared into the crowd. She waved her wand and stunned someone along the way. She never looked who it was or what side they were on.

"HERMIONE!" Ron bellowed but she didn't look back. She jumped over a body that fell down right at her feet and realised in a flash it was Arthur Weasley. She didn't stop to help.

An unexpected cackle made her turn towards her right and she ran straight towards the cheering figure of Bellatrix Lestrange. Hermione realised that the raven haired Death Eater was battling her sister and she came to a full stop when Andromeda deflected one of Bellatrix's spells before diving to her left and seeking shelter behind the champagne table. Bellatrix's next spell sent the glass shattering.

"Hermione, NO!" Harry cried and Hermione glanced over her shoulder. He and Ron had followed her and were only a few steps away from her.

There weren't many people left. A few members of the Order were still battling Death Eaters but most have been defeated. Ted Tonks had lost his wand and was left at the mercy of Lucius Malfoy. Tonks cried out in protest when Lucius stunned her father but found that she wasn't quick enough to avoid the blonde Death Eater's stunning spell. Her body slumped down only a few metres away from her father. Lupin roared in anger but Dolohov got to him before he could reach his wife.

"What are you doing?" Andromeda had jumped up from behind the table and stared at Hermione as the young brunette's eyes darted from Ron and Harry to Bellatrix and back. The raven haired woman grinned in amusement at the sight of the young woman's confusion. "Hermione, get away from her!"

"We have to go!" someone cried from out of the smouldering remains of the tent. It was hard to tell who it was. A fire had started in the corner and was rapidly eating away at the fabric, the tables and chairs and the wooden poles. Thick smoke began to fill the small space. The heat of the flames intensified by the second and Hermione could feel it scorching her skin. The thick black smoke began to creep into her lungs and she coughed a few times. Around her people began to disappear. Ron and Harry were still there.

"RETREAT!" Bellatrix's loud voice carried on through the enclosing darkness and several pops betrayed Death Eaters leaving. She turned around to Hermione and stuck out her hand without speaking. The brunette didn't move.

"Hermione, what the hell…" Harry began when he realised what Bellatrix was doing. He and Ron charged forwards, clearly with the intention of grabbing her around her waist and dragging her away from the madness that was Bellatrix Lestrange. "HERMIONE!"

But she ignored them. Her fingers simply brushed along the inside of Bellatrix's palm and the dark witch's fingers closed tightly around Hermione's wrist. The jerky motion near her belly button told her they were about to Dissaparate and she glanced back one last time at Harry and Ron, they had nearly reached her but were still too far away to touch her. Their eyes… she couldn't make out what she saw. Harry looked devastated. Ron… he seemed confused. She had one last second and used it to find Andromeda. It was her she was perhaps letting down the most. If a single glance could carry an apology, perhaps this was it. But if a single glance could also carry a glimmer of hope, Andromeda could see it in Hermione's eyes. Hope wasn't here. Hope lay behind the veil of darkness, far beyond what they could see. She wanted to speak, call Hermione's name one last time.

Hermione disappeared as the black smoke continued to engulf what was left of the tent and she left behind her two best friends as they called out her name. With an unexpected 'crack' the remainder of the tent came down people escaped into the night, their lungs eagerly expanding with fresh air. Andromeda, covered in black dust and attempting to put out the flames that were eating away at her dress, turned around to the burning mess that had been the wedding tent. It was gone. All of it. Including Hermione.


	4. Call of Hearts

**A/N: **Yes, this chapter is meant to create some confusion and I am taking some liberties here with wand lore. Enjoy.

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**Chapter 4**

"**Call of Hearts"**

Malfoy Manor lay in the rural Wiltshire country side. Surrounded by forests the building rose up out of the shadows. Candle light flickered behind the endless rows of darkened windows. Behind some of them shadows moved. Two large rows of hedges lined the gravelled path leading towards the large metal gates. The sky was pitch black and the clouds obscured the moon and the stars. The silence of the night was disturbed by the sound of gravel snapping as several dark cloaked shadows approached the gates.

Hermione clung on to Bellatrix's arm. The female Death Eater's fingers had closed around her wrist in an iron hold and she dragged the young woman along. She had to walk quickly to keep up with the other woman and every so often she missed a step. It nearly sent her falling but Bellatrix dragged her back up every single time. Though never once did she look at the girl at her side. Her charcoal eyes remained fix on the building that lay ahead of them and she came to an unexpected halt when they reached the gate. Someone drew a wand and Hermione felt the tingling sensation of Dark Magic as the gates briefly disappeared to allow them a passage through. She glanced over her shoulder just in time to witness the metal reforming itself after the last hooded figure had stepped through. They were now only a few metres away from the Manor's front door and from where they were standing Hermione could see it open. A lone figure appeared against a dimly lit background.

"You're late," spoke a woman's voice that bore a remarkable resemblance to a voice Hermione had come to known so well in recent days. "What took you so long, Bellatrix?"

"Something came up," answered the raven haired witch and unexpectedly Hermione was pushed forwards. She now stood directly in the line of the vision of the slender woman standing in the Manor's open door. Hermione looked up and immediately recognised Narcissa Malfoy. Their paths had crossed before, albeit for only a few short occasions. The witch in the doorway looked down on the young woman standing in front of her.

"What is she doing here?" Narcissa asked sharply. "Bella, what is the meaning of this?"

Bellatrix merely arched an eyebrow and shot her sister a dark look. "Inside."

Hermione quickly climbed the few steps leading to the front door and felt Narcissa's eyes burn into her back as Bellatrix pulled her into the high ceilinged hallway. Large portraits decorated all the walls. The witches and wizards in the pictures all had the familiar blonde Malfoy hair and ice cold grey eyes. She caught another glimpse of Narcissa in the weak candle light. As fair as her sister was dark it was hard to believe that the two witches were related at all. But yet Hermione could see the striking resemblance. The same beautiful features in their faces, Narcissa's not as erased and tainted as Bellatrix's. There was something strangely delicate about the blonde woman. Something that Bellatrix did not possess.

The cloaked figures that had accompanied them to the Manor dispersed and Hermione watched as Lucius made his way up the large marble staircase. He turned around one last time when he reached the final step and his cool grey eyes sought out Hermione. It did not take a genius to understand that he did not approve of her presence. Hermione was sure that he believed his sister-in-law to be a fool.

"Come," said Narcissa coolly and she went ahead towards heavy oak doors that led into another room. They opened as her fingers merely brushed along the solid gold door handle and revealed a large drawing room. The walls were painted in a deep shade of burgundy, creating the illusion that the walls were covered in blood. More paintings adorned the walls, though most appeared to be of landscapes and ancient Greek or Roman displays. A large marble fireplace took up most of the wall furthest away from them. Black leather sofas and arm chairs stood in half a circle around the smouldering fire, its flames creating haunting shadows on the walls. Floor to ceiling windows provided a view over the dark world inside and heavy black drapes slowly fell down as Narcissa walked past, taking the view away.

Bellatrix's fingers slipped from Hermione's arm and for the first time since grabbing hold of the female Death Eater she was able to walk at her own pace. She remained close to Bellatrix. Her heart beat calmly in her chest. She felt no fear, no hesitation. Hermione's eyes darted from Bellatrix to Narcissa and back and her hand slipped down to the small pouch inside her dress where she had stored her wand. She came to the frightening conclusion that it wasn't there.

"I do hope you have a good explanation as to why you brought her here," Narcissa said when she reached the fireplace and she slowly turned around. Her eyes fixed on her sister. "Well?"

Bellatrix opened her hand and Hermione realised that she held her wand. Narcissa's eyes narrowed as she approached her sister and took Hermione's wand from her open palm. She inspected it with great interest and let it roll through her fingers a few times. Then she looked up and her eyes darted from Bellatrix to Hermione. "Impossible."

"Perhaps not," spoke Bellatrix as she took the wand from her sister's hand. "It is unmistakable."

"But she is a Mudblood," Narcissa said and shook her head. "I would never have thought…"

Hermione took a step closer towards the two sisters and Bellatrix spun around almost immediately. Charcoal eyes pierced into Hermione's as she grabbed the younger woman's arm. Hermione flinched in pain as Bellatrix's sharp nails sank into her flesh. Ruby coloured lips came dangerously close to her own. "Don't move." Her eyes snapped back to Narcissa. "Leave us."

"But…"

"I said, LEAVE US!" Bellatrix shrieked and Narcissa quickly hurried out of the room without looking back. The sound of the doors closing behind her echoed off the walls and then a deafening silence fell.

"Why did you bring me here?" Hermione breathed. Her arm was aching where Bellatrix's nails still dug into her flesh. Still she felt no fear. By now everyone at the Burrow would have found out she left them. She could never go back. Yet she did not understand why Bellatrix had allowed her to follow her. "Why?"

"Why did I bring you here? You _chose_ to come with me," Bellatrix said softly and her fingers slipped from Hermione's arm. The brunette rubbed the spot where Bellatrix had hurt her. Without Hermione even noticing she had drawn her own wand and the tip now pressed softly against the pulsating vein in Hermione's neck. The steady heartbeat reached Bellatrix's fingertips and ignited a dark lust in her eyes. "You abandoned your friends and followed me."

"I-I did…" Hermione muttered.

"I know," Bellatrix lisped and pressed her wand a little harsher against Hermione's neck. "A filthy little Mudblood like you…. Why shouldn't I kill you right now, eh? Or perhaps…." The corners of her mouth jerked up into a twisted grin. "…Perhaps I should hurt you a little first…" She felt Hermione's body stiffen and she cackled softly. "CRUCIO!"

Hermione collapsed to the ground and banged her head on the hard wooden floorboards. Black spots danced before her eyes as her body began to seize and convulse. She did not curl up into a ball. She lay on her back, her arms spread out and her eyes rolled back into her head. Blood trickled from her lip when her teeth sank down into the soft flesh. The pain was intense, like a thousand knives being stabbed into her at the same time. But it were the images and voices in the back of her head that were the most agonising of all. She smelt him. She felt him. Inside of her. Everywhere. Raping her. Over and over again. The bile rose in the back of her throat and she could taste it. She could taste him. A tormented scream died out on her lips as Bellatrix's triumphant cackle filled the drawing room.

"Crucio! CRUCIO! _Crucio_!" Bellatrix's voice was endless.

When her body finally stopped seizing and convulsing Hermione was exhausted. She had no strength left to crawl back onto her feet. Every single cell in her body ached. She lay on her back, her face turned towards the woman who had just tortured her. Bellatrix circled the heaving and panting girl. Tears streamed down Hermione's face and mixed with the blood that still seeped from her lip. Strands of hair had fallen into her eyes and some of her nails had broken off where she had attempted to claw and scratch at the floorboards. Dried blood stuck to her fingertips.

"You poor thing," cooed Bellatrix playfully as she sank down on the floor beside Hermione and brushed a strand of hair out of the girls' face. Hermione blinked a few times and the blurred image of the dark haired woman slowly became sharper. The touch of Bellatrix's fingers was surprisingly soft. She did not want to lean into the comforting touch but her body almost had a will of its own and she moved in to the caressing hand, longing for some shelter. Bellatrix's fingers briefly trailed through Hermione's hair before she carefully wrapped her arms around the girl and hoisted her up onto her feet and carried her to one of the leather sofas. There they sat down and Bellatrix let Hermione's broken and bruised body rest against her chest. On the other side of the room the doors opened and Narcissa returned.

A little smile played on the blonde witch's face when she saw Hermione. "How did she do?"

Bellatrix glanced up to her sister and smiled deviously in return. "She is broken."

"Good," Narcissa sank down next to her sister and the slightly shaking Hermione. "Now about the wand…"

Bellatrix retrieved Hermione's wand from the inside of her sleeve and carefully handed it over to her sister. Narcissa took her own wand from the inside of her robes and Hermione, though tired and in pain, watched as something remarkable happened. The tips of both wands were drawn to each other until they faced each other in a completely horizontal way. They pointed at each other like the arrow on a compass pointed North. Unexpectedly the tips of both wands began to glow. First Hermione's in a warm shade of red followed by Narcissa's in an more intense gold.

Bellatrix slowly reached into the pocket of her robes and removed her own wand. The reaction was instant. Both wands immediately snapped in the direction of Bellatrix and pointed at the slightly bent stick. The third wand turned in Bellatrix' open palm until its tip was aimed at the other two and it also began to glow. The light was the most intense of all, a sharp shade of white. Bellatrix carefully removed her hand and her wand remained floating in mid-air, its white light connected to the red and golden beams. Narcissa also carefully pulled back her hand and the wands moved in a circular motion in between the three witches. Their bond was never broken.

"Impossible," Narcissa breathed. The three different glowing lights reflected in her steel blue eyes.

Hermione slowly sat up. She didn't understand what happened right before her eyes. She had never seen any wand act like hers did right now. She slowly reached out a hand but Bellatrix stopped her before she could take her wand. Questioning hazel eyes found intense black.

"Cissy, get the wand maker," Bellatrix whispered and Narcissa stood up. She crossed the room and from over the back of the sofa Hermione watched the blonde witch descend down a pair of simple stone steps. The metallic click of a lock being opened cut through the silence of the room. A soft moan followed by some whimpering and shuffling followed and Narcissa returned a few minutes later, dragging a tired and bruised Ollivander with her. The old man looked ragged and emaciated. Dried blood stuck to his lip and his left eye looked like it was recently beaten shut. He whimpered in pain with every step he took and his knees buckled when Narcissa unexpectedly let go of him when they reached the sofa. Ollivander fell down onto his knees in front of Bellatrix and pleading grey eyes looked up, ready to beg for his life. It was then that he saw the three connected wands circling in the air. A gasp escaped him.

"Merlin's beard," he breathed and Hermione watched as some of the curiosity reignited in his tired eyes.

She had found Ollivander rather odd the day she came to purchase her wand. There had been an almost immediate reaction when she walked into his shop. One single box had magically thrown itself off one his shelves in the far away corner of his shop the second she walked through the door. He had believed it a fluke until he had picked up the box to put it away. He bore blisters for days after the box had gotten so hot that he had thrown it onto his counter. The lid had fallen off and revealed the wand inside. Hermione remembered how the connection had been instant the second her fingers brushed along the dark vine wood. The wand had chosen her.

"You know what this is, don't you?" Narcissa said sharply and Ollivander managed to tear his eyes away from the united wands. "What this means?"

"I never thought it possible," the old man whispered. Frightened eyes darted from Narcissa to Bellatrix and then to Hermione. A frown appeared across his forehead as he recognised the younger witch. "The likelihood of all three wands finding each other after all those years is… well… I would have said, negligible. It would appear I was wrong."

"They found each other long before today," Narcissa said and Ollivander's eyes snapped up to the blonde witch in disbelief. "But this is the first time they have all been in the same room. Together. The connection was instant."

"What does this mean?" Hermione's voice was soft, almost broken, but Ollivander looked at her. His eyes reflected a certain sadness.

"Miss Granger, how it pains me to see you here," he said softly.

"What does this mean?" Hermione repeated, more sharply this time and Ollivander seemed taken aback. Beside her Bellatrix chuckled softly and Narcissa nodded in approval. Hermione's eyes darkened as she gestured at the three wands. "This magic. I have never seen anything like it. What is it?"

"I remember every wand I ever made, Miss Granger. I told your friend Mr Potter the day he came to purchase his wand. And every wand holds a core that is completely unique in its own kind. However, sometimes it so happens that a core knows a twin. Say a unicorn hair taken from the same stallion or, in the case of Mr Potter and You-Know-Who, the tale feather of a phoenix. Occurrences like these are rare however as wands with the same core are known to interact differently when in the presence of their twin…" Ollivander said softly. It hurt him to speak and every word pained him.

Hermione furrowed her brow. Harry had once told her that his wand and the wand of the Dark Lord had the same core. It meant they could not fatally harm or kill each other. She shivered when she felt Bellatrix's unexpected soft fingers in the back of her mind and gasped. "What does this have to do with my wand?"

"Many years ago an old wizard friend of mine was involved in the slaying of the largest and most dangerous Hungarian Horntail ever known to the Wizarding world. They had attempted to capture and train it but after it destroyed three of its appointed trainers they decided it was best off dead. Its heartstrings were used in the production of three different wands," Olivander said. He heaved a sigh as the memories flooded back into his mind. "They did not dare trust another, not even Gregorovitch himself, with the task of producing a core from a creature so fierce, afraid some of its abilities would make it more difficult for its owner to connect to the wand."

Hermione's eyes darted back to the three floating wands. "Three separate wands..."

"I promised myself I would not sell the wands to anyone who was most likely to connect with another using a wand with the same core but the wand chooses the witch or wizard," Ollivander said softly. His face had turned grey and he swallowed hard. "Within a few years I sold two of the wands. The third one however remained behind, on a dusty shelve. Many years later I was reminded I had not yet sold it when you yourself walked into my shop and the wand chose you…"

"Narcissa and I are the owners of the first two wands," Bellatrix said softly. "I remember his fright when he realised the second wand chose my sister after he sold me the first a few years earlier. Two cores within the same family…"

"I saw very little danger," Ollivander admitted and he covered his face with his hands as he recognised his own failure all over again. "Even if they were to duel one could never beat the other. The wand would recognise its twin. When used separately they worked fine. When used together they doubled in strength but when used against each other… They were useless."

"My wand recognised it's twin three years ago during the Quidditch World Cup" Narcissa said unexpectedly and Hermione's eyes snapped up to meet Narcissa's. It was the time their paths had crossed for the first time. "I felt it. It responded like it did whenever I saw Bella. I knew she wasn't there and yet my wand drew me to another person…" She swallowed and did not manage to hide her contempt. "A Mudblood."

"The third wand was sold decades after the first," Ollivander whispered and he looked up from his hands long enough to find Hermione. He seemed torn. Like the guilt was eating him alive. "I did not believe there was a danger. One wand was believed to be destroyed; the other would most likely never cross your path. I gave you no warning."

Hermione didn't' answer. She was tired. Her mind was empty and she ached. Bellatrix was drawing small figures in the base of her neck and she rested her tired body against that of the raven haired Death Eater. Ollivander looked horrified but before he could speak Narcissa had pulled him back onto his feet and marched him back to the dungeons. Their footsteps died out as they descended down the stairs. The next thing Hermione hears was a bone chilling cry.

Bellatrix smiled into Hermione's bushy hair. "Now, my pet," she said softly as her eyes fixed on the three wands still circling in the air. "You must rest."

"_Obliviate."_

Hermione's eyes fluttered shut and she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

~()~

When she woke the sun had not yet climbed up over the horizon. The bed was comfortable and the sheets felt soft against her skin. She blinked a few times and slowly pushed herself up. Her eyes darted around the room and in the darkness she could make out the shape of a large wardrobe, a desk and chair, a small sofa under the window sill, the floor to ceiling drapes that hid the window and the classic design of her bedside table. Hermione pushed the sheets away and slipped out of the bed. Her feet touched the cold wooden floor and she crossed the room towards the door. It opened without a creak and she stepped out onto the landing. It was lit by various torches. The flickering flames provided enough light for her to observe her surroundings. She did not remember coming up here.

"You're awake."

Hermione spun around and took a quick step backwards when she found Narcissa standing in her bedroom door. She had not noticed the blonde witch inside. Narcissa arched an eyebrow. "My sister asked me to keep an eye on you."

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "I do not need a babysitter."

Narcissa slowly nodded. "Perhaps not. But my sister would like to be sure you do not, shall we say, wander…"

"Wander?" Hermione questioned. "And exactly where would I be wandering to?"

"Places beyond the walls of this house," Narcissa said calmly. She reached into the pockets of her robes and retrieved Hermione's wand. Handing it back to the brunette, she said "I do believe this is yours."

Hermione inspected her wand quickly and then looked up. "What happened? How did I end up here?"

A knowing smile spread across Narcissa's face and in the dim light of the torches she seemed so much younger than she was. Her blonde hair fell freely down her shoulders and she stepped closer to Hermione. Soft fingers took the brunette's hand and she led her back to her bedroom. "There will be a time for questions but this is not it. Return to sleep. Dawn will break soon. Things will be clear."

Hermione snorted. "You really like your riddles, don't you?"

"Later, Miss Granger," Narcissa smiled mysteriously and reached for the door handle. "Now, please return to bed before I am forced to confine you to your room. You do not wish to disappoint my sister now, do you?"

Hermione watched as Narcissa closed the door. For a second she thought about opening the door again but she assumed that Narcissa did not make empty threats so she crossed the room back to the bed, climbed back in it and rested her head on the pillow. There was a small crack in the curtain and she could see the sun rise in the distance. Soon another dawn would break. A sigh escaped her as she rolled onto her side and wrapped herself up in the soft sheets.

The last thing she remembered was leaving the Burrow with Bellatrix. She remembered her fingers brushing alongside the raven haired woman's hand. In the back of her head someone cried out her name but the longer she was awake, the more their voice died out. Before long she drifted off into another dreamless sleep and succumbed to the comforting darkness.


	5. Cold is the Fire

**Chapter 5**

"**Cold is the Fire"**

When she woke again the sun was high in the sky. Hermione slipped out of bed and crossed the room to the large windows. Pushing the drapes aside she stared through the glass and out over the elaborate gardens of Malfoy Manor. A large fountain depicting a scene between angels and demons was surrounded by gravelled paths leading in various directions. The gardens were lined with trees that reached high up to the skies, their branches bare and stripped from their leaves.

She spun around when she heard her bedroom door opened and found Bellatrix stepping into the room. Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"My sister said you were awake."

"Yeah, three hours ago," Hermione snarled. "Where have you been?"

"Too many questions," Bellatrix smiled as she reached Hermione and brushed a strand of hair out of her face. The touch was unexpectedly gentle and Hermione seemed taken aback. Bellatrix sensed the brunette's hesitation. "Come, get dressed. We have much to discuss."

Bellatrix remained in the room as Hermione opened the large wardrobe and found a variety of long robes, all in her size, hanging up. She picked a burgundy red one and cast a quick glance over her shoulder. Bellatrix leant against one of the bed posts and showed no sign of turning around. Hermione sighed and began taking off her clothes. As she peeled the layers away from her skin and revealed the simple yet elegant underwear she wore underneath she felt the older woman's eyes burn into her back. Slowly she stepped into the robes. The material felt silky soft against her skin and she slowly turned around to find Bellatrix staring at her. Hunger flickered in her eyes.

"Narcissa is waiting for us," Bellatrix said calmly and headed to the door. She held it open for Hermione and the young brunette filed past her. She crossed the landing and began descending down the marble staircase. Bellatrix was close behind her and as she reached the final few steps she realised the female Death Eater wasn't wrong. Narcissa was leaning against the wall, her arms loosely folded across her chest. Blue eyes darted up to the two figures coming down.

"We have a problem, Bella," she said venomously. "Lucius informed me that the Order is looking for Miss Granger. Don't ask me how but they seem to know she's here. Someone must have told them. He expects a raid within the next hour."

"Someone's been dumb enough to have themselves Imperiused," Bellatrix spat. Her eyes darted around the high ceilinged entrance hall of the Manor. "Very well. Gather the others. I am afraid our meeting with Miss Granger will just have to wait." She turned around to Hermione as the others hurried off. "It is time to prove yourself."

Intense hazel eyes found charcoal black and cocked her head. Somewhere in the back of her mind a small voice whispered something she couldn't quite understand. It was gone in seconds. Like a memory trying to break its way through a spell. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at Bellatrix. She recognised the feeling. After all, she had performed a similar spell not long ago herself. She still remembered her parents even though they did no longer remember her. "There was no need for what you did. I wasn't going to betray you."

"What did I do?" Bellatrix mockingly asked.

"You tried to erase my memory," Hermione said sharply. "I know what you did." The corner of her mouth twitched. "Surely by now you must have realised that I am not like the others?"

"You're certainly not," Bellatrix admitted. Dark eyes scanned the younger witch's face. "Perhaps I was wrong. Tell me, how did you know?"

"I have overheard plenty of Order meetings to recognise the effects of a Memory Modification Charm, Bellatrix. And I was the best in my year. I have read books way beyond the knowledge of a sixth of seventh year. I am not like the others. I have studied the darker sides of magic too. I know how to change…"

"Compartmentalise." Bellatrix couldn't hide that she was impressed and she took a step closer to Hermione. When she didn't sense fear a smile crept across her face. A slender finger began drawing figures on the back of Hermione's right hand. Her eyes darted to the small pocket on Hermione's hip where she now kept her wand. "Very impressive, Miss Ganger. So how much do you really remember?"

Hermione smirked just as Narcissa returned. "_Everything."_

And with that she pushed past Bellatrix and reached Narcissa before her sister could. "Potter becomes disorganised when he's angry. He doesn't think his plans through. The Order attacks in groups. Mainly Aurors. Moody's dead so they haven't got him as a back-up. Probably Tonks, Kingsley and Weasley. Potter and the Weasley brat are of age now. They may have persuaded the Order and allow them to fight. There will be no more than six, maybe seven. I suspect your sister might be joining them too."

"She is no sister of ours," Bellatrix hissed as she reached Hermione. Her fingers closed around Hermione's upper arm in an iron grip and she began dragging her towards the drawing room. Hermione didn't attempt to stop her. Narcissa followed them and watched as Bellatrix eventually pushed Hermione in one of the leather armchairs and hovered over her. There was something predatory about her. The way she studied Hermione, looking for any sign of weakness or betrayal.

Hermione knew she would find none. There was no weakness. There would be no betrayal. She had felt and heard the spell Bellatrix had muttered the night before and she had silently protected herself. An old trick she had picked up during one of the many nights she, Harry and Ron had spied on the Order. It had been a trick Albus Dumbledore himself had invented. Seemed like the old fool had his uses after all. Bellatrix had believed she had forgotten the events right up until that time whereas, in fact, her memories had just been rearranged for a little while. After a few hours they had fallen back into place and the picture couldn't be any clearer.

She remembered abandoning Harry and Ron at the wedding. She remembered Andromeda's plea not to follow Bellatrix. She even remembered the empty feeling she had experienced just as her fingers brushed along those of the dark haired Death Eater. She remembered Ollivander and the Tale of the Three Wands. A tale she had yet to fully comprehend but she suspected there would be intense consequences. Now that she sat in the same room as Bellatrix and Narcissa she felt her wand respond. It seemed to want to unite with those of Bellatrix and Narcissa. Its magic could be felt even without touching it. It lingered in the room, dormant, until a final spark would make it explode.

The sound of footsteps made Bellatrix back off and she looked over her shoulder just in time to watch Lucius walk into the room. He was followed by two other wizards and Hermione recognised them as Rabastan and Rodolphus Lestrange. The latter was Bellatrix's husband. As she listened she heard the distinct sound of more people Apparating.

"So Lucius was right. You brought a Mudblood into the house," Rabastan said with a disdainful smirk. "And here I was thinking he was pulling my leg."

"Hold your tongue!" Bellatrix barked and Rabastan's green eyes briefly flashed in her direction. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

"The Dark Lord spoke of Potter's attempt to destroy him," Lucius said softly and he walked up to the arm chair where Hermione sat. His grey eyes met Bellatrix's and she unwillingly stepped aside. Behind her, Narcissa moved nearer. Lucius' grey eyes fixed on Hermione. She stared up at him fearlessly. "I'm sure Bellatrix wouldn't mind if I asked her to tell us exactly what this means?"

"Potter is looking for what are known as Horcruxes," Hermione said calmly. She didn't even blink. "These are items in which the Dark Lord has concealed parts of his soul…" When she saw Lucius' frown she sighed irritably. "Dark forms of magic allow a person to split their soul and transfer a piece of it into an object. That way it means that, even if their body was to be killed, their soul wouldn't die. So basically it means he can never die unless all the items have been destroyed."

"How many of these items are there?" Bellatrix seemed intrigued.

"Five, as far as I know. But two have been destroyed already," Hermione said. "Whatever the others are, it is of great importance that Potter never finds them. Lucius, the next time the Dark Lord makes an appearance, inform him of what I just told you. He would do well by moving them or choosing a way to keep them safe. Once they are destroyed, the Dark Lord becomes mortal once more and he and Potter are equals."

"Equals," Bellatrix snorted and the others laughed. "Potter is an idiot."

"True," Hermione said. "But he isn't alone in this."

"He wouldn't be able to find those other items without you," Narcissa said and Hermione's eyes snapped up to meet the blonde witch's ice blue. Until now she had not realised that the Death Eaters too had understood that she had been the one who had kept the group together. Her intelligence had brought Harry to this point. Without her he was useless. "He needed you."

"Everyone keeps saying that," Hermione groaned and averted her gaze. She knew it to be true and yet it irritated and annoyed her. "Potter doesn't need anyone. His own arrogance will get him where he needs to go. He is brash. It is what saved him before. Once away from the Order he _is_ on his own. He cannot stay in their protection forever if he wants to find the Horcruxes. Most of them didn't even want him to go in the first place…"

An unexpected cold gush of wind brushed across their faces and everyone leapt to their feet. Hermione drew her wand from her robes and realised almost immediately how differently it felt in her hand now that she was with Bellatrix and Narcissa. It was as if an invisible energy crept into her veins and began to spread through her body before seeping into her heart. A kind of magic unlike any other she had ever felt. From the corner of her eye she watched as Lucius, Rabastan and Rudolphus bolted out of the drawing room and into the entrance hall. Loud voices suddenly echoed around the Manor. An explosion followed and the foundations of the house shook. Somewhere in the distance glass shattered.

"Stay together!" Hermione cried when Narcissa seemed to dart off towards the door through which her husband had disappeared.

The blonde came to a sudden halt and spun around. Her gaze locked with Hermione's and she watched as Bellatrix moved to Hermione's side until their bodies were practically pressed together. Their wands were both aimed at the door and Narcissa ran back to them and joined their ranks. Their wands worked as if in unison.

Mere seconds later several figures came bursting into the room and an array of multi coloured jets were fired at Narcissa, Hermione and Bellatrix. Their wands responded in one singular motion and raised a Shield Charm so strong that the Order members in the room were physically forced backwards. Through the blinding light of their spell Hermione recognised Harry, Ron and Tonks. Just as she was about to withdraw her wand, Bellatrix's free hand closed around her wrist and stopped her.

"Hermione!" bellowed Ron and the sound of his voice sent a cold shiver down her spine. Instantly she was back on the sofa, with him on top of her. Inside of her. "HERMIONE!"

"NO!" Bellatrix cried when Hermione broken free from her grip and the Shield Charm instantly died down. The union had been broken and the powerful magic died out. "Stay!"

"Hermione."

It was Harry who breathed her name and her eyes found his. Emerald green glistened behind his glasses. His mother's eyes. How fed up he had become with people telling him how he had his mother's eyes. And how fed up she, Hermione, had become of him. Of his endless anger and hatred and his incapability to look any further than the blatantly obvious. She resented him for siding with Ron and she resented him for taking away the one thing she had once believed to have control over. Her life.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked. His wand was aimed at her chest and she could see his hand shaking. He wanted to hex her but something stopped him. This was the boy who has almost torn Draco Malfoy to shreds in a bathroom at Hogwarts. The mighty Harry Potter, reduced to a mess of doubt and weakness. Coward.

"Saving myself," she answered. Her voice was hollow. Emotionless. Like her eyes. Like her soul. She felt nothing. She was dead inside. Empty. What was left of her heart was slowly rotting away in her chest, fermenting.

"Saving yourself? From what?" Ron stepped past Harry. There was something in his eyes. A spark of some kind. Anger, perhaps. Not guilt. If he felt guilty he masked it well. His eyes fixed on his friends' face. He thought he knew her. She thought she'd known him.

Almost immediately her wand snapped in his direction. It had sensed her anger. Its tip was pointed at his chest, directly at his heart. The longing to silence its steady beat was overwhelming. It would be so easy. So easy to just end it all. Kill both of them. End it. Forever finished. She stretched her neck and her fingers grabbed a tighter hold of her wand. Hazel eyes met his. _His eyes._ The ones she could still see whenever darkness fell. His hands were the ones she could still feel in the middle of the night, during any unguarded moment where her mind was weak.

"Saving yourself from what, Hermione?"

"From you."

"Me?" Ron questioned and then suddenly it was there. The memory dawned in his eyes. Fear spread across his face. He remembered. He had remembered all this time but had chosen to ignore it. He had chosen to ignore her. Some things were not better left unsaid. He began to stammer. "Hermione, I'm sorry. I never meant for it to happen. I thought you wanted it to. Honest. If I didn't think you'd wanted it…"

"SILENCE!" Hermione cried and Ron's sentence ended abruptly. "You ruined_ everything_!"

"Hermione, what are you doing here? With _her_?" said Tonks and Hermione's eyes found the young Auror. Her hair was bright purple. A shade she knew for a fact Andromeda hated. Tonks' eyes darted from Hermione to Bellatrix and Narcissa and then back. There was a small family resemblance. A resemblance she despised. "Mother said you went with her. Why?"

"Because everything's broken, don't you see? Everything's fallen apart. There is no Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger any more. There is no longer a Trio. A part of that died the other night. It died and it is never going to come back!" Hermione felt the tears suddenly stream down her face and she shook her head. "Nothing's ever going to be the same again. NOTHING!"

"We can still change this, Hermione. Come back with us. We can talk about it and then, when the time comes, we can move on," Harry tried. His wand was still aimed at her chest. He was about to duel his best friend. The one that had figured out he was in love with Ginny. Hermione had been there at his side for the past six years. Whenever he needed her, she had been there. But the young woman standing here in front of him wasn't the Hermione he knew. Her eyes were dead and she looked pale. And as she was flanked by Bellatrix and Narcissa he suddenly realised that perhaps all things were lost.

"We need you, Hermione," Harry tried again but Hermione shook her head.

"You never needed me, Harry. All you needed was for me to tell you how to solve your problems. Never thought for yourself. Always relied on me!" she sneered. Behind her Bellatrix chuckled and unexpectedly her arm snaked around Hermione's waist and pulled her nearer. Warm lips kissed the side of her neck. Harry's eyes widened in horror when he saw the twisted display of affection and his stomach turned.

"Tell him," Bellatrix whispered softly in Hermione's ear. Her breath was warm against her skin. "Tell him what happened that night…"

"Hermione," Ron begged. "Don't…"

"What is she talking about?" Harry demanded and his eyes flashed from Hermione and Bellatrix to Ron and back. When his eyes fixed on Hermione once more he realised that Narcissa too had moved closer. Though she wasn't touching Hermione she served as a protection, standing partially in front of her. It seemed that the three witches formed a union he had yet to understand.

"The night of the party, before the wedding…" Hermione began. Her voice was laced with withheld anger. Every word contained venom. "Ron…."

He shook his head. He was pleading with her not to tell Harry. Not to tell anyone. Their secret. Their dirty little secret. His mistake. Her punishment.

"What did he do?" It was Tonks. Her voice soft and understanding. She moved past Harry and Ron and towards Hermione. To her surprise Hermione's wand didn't flick in her direction. It was still aimed at Ron's heart. Narcissa's wand however slowly moved into her niece's direction. Tonks knew that she would not hesitate to kill her if she wanted to. She had seen the threat and yet she was blind to it. All she saw was Hermione's tears. "Hermione, what happened?"

"He raped me!"

"NO!"

The unexpected outcry made everyone look up. Andromeda stood in the doorway of the drawing room. Blood seeped from a cut on her forehead. Her robes were ripped and stained with blood. Her dark eyes fixed on Hermione and Hermione looked up. Andromeda looked a lot like Bellatrix now, especially with her hair messed up and her robes disturbed. She clutched her wand, like a warrior ready for battle. She rushed into the room and reached Harry, Ron and her daughter. But her eyes remained focused on Hermione and she shook her head.

"Hermione, I'm so sorry that this happened to you."

"Shut it!" Hermione barked. "It isn't going to change anything."

Harry looked from Ron to Hermione and back. There was disbelief in his eyes and his voice betrayed his shock. "Is this true? What she's saying, is it true, Ron?"

Tonks looked disgusted and Hermione observed the slight twitch in the purple haired witch's wand. It briefly pointed at Ron before it lowered.

"It was an accident! I never meant for it to happen. I was drunk. Hermione… I always fancied her…."

"Silence!" It was Bellatrix. Her raw voice echoed off the walls and all the voices in the room fell silent. She moved away from Hermione and slowly approached the group in front of her. "Well, will you look at this…" Charcoal eyes fixed on Andromeda. Hatred laced every word as it fell from her lips. "It's been a long time, sister dear. And what brings you here tonight? Did I not tell you that you're not welcome here?"

Andromeda didn't get a chance to reply. A bright red jet came from the open door and crashed into Tonks' body. She slumped down to the floor, eyes wide open. Her wand rolled away. A scream erupted from Andromeda's throat and she spun around. Lucius stood in the doorway, his wand now aimed at Andromeda.

"Lucius!" Narcissa shouted and her husband's eyes darted in her direction. "You fool!"

Her words died out when several coloured jets shot towards Lucius. His Shield Charm was strong and they all bounced back. The room suddenly was full of smoke, bright flashes of light. Somewhere a window broke and Hermione could feel the cool morning wind on her skin. She ducked behind one of the sofas, out of the way from a blue flash that came her way. When she peered over the back she realised it had been Harry though it looked like it had been meant for Bellatrix.

"STUPEFY!" Hermione cried and her spell hit a large statue in the corner of the room where Harry had just stood. He dived away just in time and returned the spell. He missed and Bellatrix retaliated with a well-aimed Killing Curse. She knew better than to kill the boy but she knew she could frighten him. Hermione sprung to her feet and rushed over to the raven haired witch. Narcissa, who had been battling Ron up till that point, realised what they were doing and joined them. Their wands responded in unison and Hermione used all her strength to move the other two wands in the same direction as hers. The target was a lone figure standing by the large window, staring at them. She didn't want to see him anymore. She didn't want to feel him anymore.

Behind her Andromeda had reached her daughter's fallen body and with a simple flick of her wand Tonks regained her consciousness. She looked a bit disorientated and clung on to her mother's arms as she staggered to her feet. Harry had fetched her wand and threw it at her. The unlikely trio now moved backwards across the room, shooting spells and hexes at Lucius who was easily fighting the three of them. Blood trickled from Harry's nose and his glasses dangled lopsided on his nose. Tonks sported a large bruise across her cheek where her face had hit the floor boards.

"RON!" Harry bellowed and Hermione's eyes met Harry's emerald green across the length of the room. Even after the revelation he still called for his friend. He did not abandon him.

"No!" Hermione cried and her wand responded almost out of its own free will. Aided with the strength of Bellatrix and Narcissa's wand the spell was three times as powerful and three separate green jets burst from the tips of three different wands. The distance to Ron's body was short and the jets crashed into him, piercing into his chest, into his heart. He slumped down to the floor as if in slow motion. His hand stretched out and his wand slipped from his fingers. It rolled away and came to a rest by Narcissa's feet. His eyes widened, a final look at the girl who had taken his life, before they glazed over. Life was gone. By the time his body hit the floor he was already dead.

"RON!" Harry shouted and Andromeda and Tonks grabbed his arms to stop him from running towards his fallen friend. They forcefully dragged him out of the room, away from the scene that was still unfolding. They disappeared into the clouds of smoke and dust and then they were gone. Lucius gasped for air and spun around to find his wife, sister-in-law and Hermione standing around the lifeless body of the ginger kid.

"Hermione," Narcissa breathed as she rolled her own wand through her fingers. She had a secret of her own. Until now she had never used that spell before. It was her sister's trait to kill. She herself had never before taken a life. Something inside of her had died the second the spell had burst from her wand. "You…you killed him!"

Bellatrix merely smirked and reached out to let her fingers run through Hermione's hair. "He deserved it."

Hermione slowly sank down onto her knees and her hazel eyes trailed over the now emotionless features of Ron Weasley. She didn't touch him. She just stared. And in the back of her mind the memory faded, like the flame of a candle as it stopped burning. The fire went out.

"_We_ killed him," Hermione said as she glanced over her shoulder. "The three of us." She rose to her feet and looked at her wand. "Have you ever thought about what we could be? The three of us. Our talents. Our destiny. Three cores. One heart. One thought." Her eyes briefly met those of Narcissa before seeking out Bellatrix. "Together?"

Bellatrix smiled. "Oh my love, you have no idea."

Narcissa nodded hesitantly and then glanced at Lucius. "Get rid of him. We wouldn't want him leaving a mess now, do we?" When her husband didn't respond her voice became sharper. "Lucius, I said get rid of him!"

"Where do I take him?" he questioned as he came nearer.

"Outside will do," Narcissa answered. "Make sure he's never found."


	6. Desire the Night

**A/N: **My apologies on the long break. I am afraid I have found myself a little caught up in life and work. Also, I am working on two different novels (my own work)/ One is a crime thriller, complete with serial killer, and the other is a post-apocalyptic sort of adventure, and I suppose my fan fiction got a little lost in the process. Anyway, I am back now with chapter 6. ~Cissy

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**Chapter 6**

"**Desire the Night"**

Hermione never saw Ron's body again. Lucius returned after nightfall, alone. She didn't ask questions. He briefly met her eyes as he had walked past the open drawing room door. Then he had disappeared into the library and she had not seen him since. Throughout the day Bellatrix and Narcissa had restored the Manor to its previous glory and now that darkness had fallen not a single battles scar remained. They had not allowed Hermione to help. It was an act she did not quite understand but she knew better than to ask for answers. Candle light illuminated darkened windows and created haunting shadows on the walls. Silence had fallen over the Manor.

Hermione stood by her bedroom window and gazed out over the elaborate gardens. Even in the darkness its beauty could not be denied. The large marble fountain depicted a scene from Roman history and portrayed two angels attempting to take the body of a woman they had both once loved. Cold, marble blood poured from the lover's chest where an arrow had punctured its non-existent heart. Frozen tears were forever painted on the face of two weeping angels, torn apart over what they had lost.

A light knock on the door made her turn around and she found Bellatrix entering her room. In the weak candle light her skin loved soft and pure and her charcoal eyes almost immediately sought her out. A small, slightly twisted grin spread across the raven haired woman's face as she approached.

"You impressed me today," she said softly when she reached Hermione. There was a strange and soft seductiveness to her voice that was new. Dark eyes observed the younger witch and found the anger flickering deep behind her eyes.

Hermione arched an eyebrow in surprise and inquisitive hazel eyes trailed over Bellatrix's frame. Dressed in her black velvet skirt, tightly laced corset and black leather boots she looked strangely beautiful in the weak candle light. She had come to admire her. Admire the beauty that was both deadly and stunning. So different from Narcissa who was beautiful yet cold and did not hold the same hatred as her sister. It was that hatred that had given Bellatrix back some of the beauty that Azkaban had robbed.

"Many will have doubted your loyalty before tonight, or in the very least they would have questioned it," Bellatrix continued. She tilted her head in curiosity when she noticed the lack of response. A slight frown spread across her face. "You have nothing to say?"

"They'll learn," Hermione shrugged. "I have little concern. Their opinions do not interest me. My intentions are not to be questioned."

"So it would appear," Bellatrix smiled. "I doubt they will ever dare to question you again." She paused. "They will however question how you came to change so much, Hermione. How you came to betray your friendship with Potter and change your allegiance to the Dark Lord."

Blazing hazel eyes pierced into black orbs with the same intensity Bellatrix recognised from herself. "Because of Ron." Hermione turned away and continued to stare out of the window. She had spoken about what had happened for the first time today. She had seen the hurt in Harry's eyes and the guilt in Andromeda's, yet she did not understand why the other woman experienced any guilt at all. Perhaps she had blamed herself for not forcing Hermione to stay that night. If only she had… If only she had, she would not be here now. For the first time she felt free of all her demons. Andromeda was wrong. She had no reason to feel guilty. She should be happy instead. A voice filled with resentment replaced her earlier anger. "But I do not expect a fool to understand."

"Oh I know," Bellatrix lisped teasingly and slowly Hermione turned to face her. She watched the candle light reflect in those delusional eyes and was reminded that Bellatrix knew exactly what had brought her here. How the remainders of her heart were left to fester and rot deep inside her chest. Bellatrix let one of Hermione's curls run through her fingers. "But others do not."

"I do not owe them an explanation," Hermione bit in Bellatrix direction. Her opinions of the Death Eaters had not changed even though she had since sided with them. Most of them were not known for their intellectual abilities. "They are worthless. I do not need to tell them anything!"

"But you do," Bellatrix replied. "They do not understand why Harry Potter's best friend has chosen to betray him."

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "Then they are stupid. People change all the while. They are ignorant."

"Perhaps."

"Perhaps?" Hermione echoed and the corner of her mouth twitched in anger. She had little to nothing good to say about the Death Eaters she had seen earlier. Anger laced her words. "You don't think half the people we saw tonight are dim-witted idiots?"

Bellatrix openly laughed. "They are. And they think you are a threat."

Hermione smirked and mirrored Bellatrix's touch by letting her hand slide up until the caressed the older woman's jaw. She sensed the slight hesitation when her fingertips brushed along porcelain skin. Her smirk changed into a devious grin. "I am a threat."

Bellatrix cocked an eyebrow and moved closer. The tension rose as their bodies moved towards each other. The female Death Eater felt her breath choke in the back of her throat when her chest pressed against Hermione's slender frame and her free arm wrapped around the younger witch's back. "So dangerous…"

Hermione silently observed the raven haired woman. Bellatrix's tongue darted out of her mouth and wet her lips. It lasted only a mere second but it sent a signal that would bear its consequences for a lifetime. Hungry lips captured Bellatrix's and suddenly the older woman's arms closed around Hermione's waist and pressed her body tighter against her own. Hermione's fingers tangled in black curls as she felt Bellatrix's impatient hands rip apart her robes.

They staggered backwards across the room towards the bed in a tangled mess of limbs and clothing. Bellatrix slender fingers peeled away what little remained of Hermione's robes and revealed the young, glowing flesh that hid underneath. Hermione unlaced Bellatrix's corset around her back and slowly freed the full breasts that it kept imprisoned. Dark pink nipples hardened almost instantly as the cold evening air brushed across them. Next she slowly pulled down the black skirt and revealed nothing more than a lace pair of black knickers.

Bruising kisses trailed down glowing skin and Hermione wrapped her legs around Bellatrix's waist when she felt the older woman suck down on the pulsating vein in her neck. Bellatrix thigh pressed down firmly against her core and the warm wetness between her legs betrayed her growing arousal. Hermione's nails clawed deeply into Bellatrix's back when the Death Eater's teeth sank down on her collarbone. Bellatrix tasted the first drops of sweet blood on the tip of her tongue.

With a swift motion Hermione shifted her weight and found herself straddling Bellatrix. Hungry eyes preyed down on the woman underneath her. A wild mess of raven curls spread across the soft white silk of her pillow. In the candle light Bellatrix appeared to glow and Hermione watched as Bellatrix's chest rose and fell in anticipation. Slowly she reached out and a single finger trailed around a hardened nipple and drew a soft moan from the raven haired witch's throat. Dark brown curls rained down her back as she tilted her head when Bellatrix cupped one of her breasts.

Their bodies fitted perfectly together and for a few seconds it was as if time froze around them. Trapped in an everlasting moment that brought together two people so unlike each other it was a miracle, or perhaps a curse, that they had ever found each other. The magic began to fill the room and it slowly died down the flames on the candles until all but one remained. Placed right beside the bed the single flame illuminated both their faces in a moment that could have been passionate were it not for the hunger and the lust both women shared.

Hermione leant down and her lips pressed back into Bellatrix's. The older woman's tongue met Hermione's and a duel for control erupted. A duel Bellatrix eventually won. She reached up with one hand, once again claiming one of Hermione's breasts, yet she could not suppress the guttural moan when she felt the younger witch's nails claw at her hardened nipples. Their bodies moved together in a rhythm that grew stronger and more intense as the seconds began to pass. Hermione whimpered when she felt Bellatrix pull up her leg and her knee began pressing into her core. Beads of sweat glistened on their skin as they rocked together, tongues still fighting a battle of power and control. Hermione tasted Bellatrix's blood when her teeth sank down into her lover's lip. The sweet sensation almost pushed both of them over the edge.

Hermione broke free from the bruising kiss and dark, dilated eyes fixed on the panting lover pinned down into the mattress. A slow, teasing hand trailed down Bellatrix's stomach and she watched with a twisted grin as the raven haired woman arched her back into the touch. Slowly Hermione's fingers dipped between her lover's thighs and encountered a pool of warm, seductive wetness. Slowly moving inwards she gasped as Bellatrix bit her lower lip.

Slim fingers crept up along the outside of Hermione's thigh before reaching her stomach and descending down to the unexplored valley between her legs. Feeling Bellatrix's fingertip brush across her most sensitive spot had Hermione cry out softly and when Bellatrix moved further, all her muscles tightened. As her lover slipped inside of her Hermione felt her heart explode. Gone were the demons that had allowed it to rot to the extent that it had. And gone were the voices in her head. All that remained was the poisoning feeling of Bellatrix that began to seep into her blood. It was the final push over the edge and her fingers slipped deeply into the damp core of her lover.

Hermione leant in and felt Bellatrix's tongue trail a hot blaze across her jaw as her fingers moved and thrusted. Her own hand matched her lover's rhythm and their lips crashed together as their bodies moved slickly, covered in sweat. Strands of hair stuck to their foreheads and Hermione forced herself to open her eyes as she felt her climax approach. Wide eyed she stared down at Bellatrix as the dark witch stared up at her. Ruby lips, full and bruised by their ferocious kissing, were slightly parted and Hermione recognised the onset of an orgasm in her lover's eyes long before her fingers could feel it.

They cried out together when their climax washed over them and they rode out the waves together until Hermione's body collapsed on top of Bellatrix. The older woman's larger breasts pressed against Hermione's and almost instantly stirred a reaction deep down inside. Her nipples hardened at the mere touch of their skin. Exploring hands brushed away thick black manes and hungry lips sought out Bellatrix's. A searing kiss left their bodies glowing and Bellatrix slowly pushed Hermione onto her side before her tongue slowly trailed down the side of her neck, across Hermione's collarbone and eventually down the valley between her breasts until they found the hardened nipple.

The single flame illuminated their bodies throughout their night as they moved and rested together, only to respond again to a passion that was reignited time after time. By the time the sun began to rise of the horizon in the distance they lay in a mess of limbs and torn sheets, their bodies bruised and stained with blood. The first rays of sunshine caressed their faces as the candle beside the bed finally died.

Hermione was the first to wake and slowly she pushed herself up onto one arm. She took one of the sheets and wrapped it around herself before slipping out of the bed and moving across the room towards the window. Soon the sun would fully rise. A new dawn was here. A world in which nothing would be the same was it had been the day before. She had changed. And the world had changed too. Her eyes drifted around the room and came to a rest one of the sheets that had fallen down to the floor. Stained with some of their blood it were the two objects in the middle that caught her eye. Her wand and Bellatrix's lay beside each other. They had been drawn to each other just like their bodies had been. A smile spread across her face as the true realisation of what had happened overnight dawned on her.

Destiny.


	7. Archangel

**A/N: ** Could you guys let me know what sort of thing you'd like to see? Bellatrix/Hermione only or make it a triangle and have Hermione with both Bellatrix and Narcissa? I know some of you in the past asked me to write a triangle like that. This story has the potential (even the potential of having Hermione be involved with all three sisters at different times). I want to push my own boundaries as well as the boundaries of what I have written before. I am open to suggestions and ideas. ~Cissy

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**Chapter 7**

"**Archangel"**

Hermione descended down the marble staircase and found Narcissa waiting in the entrance hall. The blonde witch looked up when she heard the younger woman approach and blue eyes watched transfixed as she came closer. Dressed in simple black trousers and a long sleeved black shirt and with her long brown curls falling freely down her shoulders Hermione reminded Narcissa somewhat of her sister. But as she looked closer she observed the bruises on Hermione's wrists and neck and came to the conclusion that to Bellatrix Hermione had been something else.

"Is there news?" Hermione asked as she reached Narcissa.

"Potter has returned to Hogwarts," Narcissa said. "Draco sent an owl this morning saying he arrived back late last night. It would appear the Order believes the castle is a safe haven."

Hermione smirked. "For now."

She turned when she heard the sound of Bellatrix's boots behind her on the stairs and watched as the raven haired Death Eater made her way down. When Bellatrix reached her, her arm slipped around her waist and warm lips gently sucked down on the side of her neck. Bellatrix ignored her youngest sister completely though she was not blind for the emotions she saw flickering behind those blue eyes.

"Potter is back at Hogwarts," Hermione whispered when Bellatrix finally removed her lips. "We need to talk."

Bellatrix cocked her head. "Potter belongs to the Dark Lord, my love. He is not for us to kill."

Hermione's eyes snapped in Bellatrix's direction and the raven haired witch seemed to be momentarily taken aback by the anger and hatred lingering in Hermione's eyes. Whatever colour remained in her face slowly disappeared and she looked pale as she spoke. "You saw what we can do!"

"Betrayal," whispered Narcissa. "You wish to overpower the Dark Lord?"

"I'll leave that up to Potter," Hermione hissed. "After all, he knows where to find those Horcruxes. At least he thinks he does. Why not let him do all the work and take advantage in the end?" Her eyes darted from Narcissa and Bellatrix. "You don't really think he would be a match for us, do you?"

"The Dark Lord is powerful," Bellatrix said but Hermione laughed. "Truly powerful."

"And what do you call these three wands? A joke?" Hermione asked and shook her head. "Clearly there is some kind of dark force at work here but it has nothing to do with the Dark Lord. Haven't you noticed how he hasn't returned since you brought me here? A man of his talents would know of the myth, Bellatrix. The wand maker sure knew so is to say the Dark Lord didn't?"

Narcissa opened her mouth but she didn't speak. Her eyes merely rested on Hermione. "What are you going to do?"

"Find Potter," Hermione shrugged. "If I can get him to trust me again…"

Bellatrix now openly laughed. "You expect him to be that stupid, Hermione? He knows you chose your side. You betrayed him. You broke away from the Order and defiled the friendship you once had." She paused when the front door swung open and Lucius appeared. It was pouring it down with rain outside but he had remained dry. He slowly closed the wooden front door and his eyes drifted from his wife to Bellatrix and eventually Hermione. He observed that the conversation had fallen silent.

"Potter is desperate," Hermione said once Lucius was gone. Her hazel eyes found Bellatrix's charcoal black and the corners of her mouth curled up into a devious smile. "He knows he can never find the remaining Horcruxes alone. He needs help and like Cissy pointed out, he will never be able to do it without me. He needs me but he never really needed Ron. Surely we can persuade the Order that I was under the Imperius Curse?"

Bellatrix looked from Hermione to Narcissa and back. It was obvious she wasn't sure about Hermione's intentions and when she met her sister's eyes she realised Narcissa shared her concern. Hermione however was blind to their doubt and turned on her heel. She was about to climb back up the stairs when she realised Lucius was on his way back down. She turned and her eyes rested on the two witches. "Meet me in the library. We can talk privately."

She disappeared and Bellatrix and Narcissa were left alone. Lucius ignored his wife as he made his way to the drawing room. Once he was gone Narcissa turned to her sister. "What in Merlin's name is she doing? Does she really plan to overthrow the Dark Lord? It will get her killed! It will get us all killed!"

Bellatrix twirled a dark curl around her index finger and began pacing around the entrance hall. The sound of her boots echoed off the marble floor. "She has a point."

"What, gaining Potter's trust and hope that the Order doesn't kill her immediately?" Narcissa said, her voice slightly high pitched. "Bellatrix, I understand why you brought her here and I am sure she was a quite adequate mate last night, but she is a danger to us all. Same wand core or not…"

"I know," Bellatrix sighed. She stopped pacing and her dark eyes fixed on the only window in the entrance hall. "What I don't understand is how I didn't see it. I was sure I had seen all of her." She paused and her eyes searched for those of her sister. Once Narcissa held her gaze Bellatrix crossed the room and before Narcissa could react her sister's hand had shot up and Bellatrix cupped her sister's cheek. The touch would have been tender were it not for the fact that Bellatrix's nails scratched Narcissa's skin. "She is part of this union, Cissy. We have to trust her."

"Even if she is going to get us killed?" Narcissa whispered as she arched an eyebrow. "Exactly how much did you see, Bella?"

"Enough," Bellatrix answered. "I thought that what the Weasley boy did to her was enough to break her. I wasn't wrong. But it is what lay hidden underneath that concerns me. Such rage and anger. I did not see it when I saw her for the first time." She paused and brought her lips closer to her sister's ear. Her breath was warm against her younger sister's skin. "She belongs with us, Narcissa. We cannot let her leave."

Narcissa wanted to object but Bellatrix covered her sister's mouth with her finger before softly kissing her cheek. Then she turned around and made her way to the library. Judging from the sound of clicking heels, Narcissa was right behind her. When they entered the dimly lit library Bellatrix found Hermione standing by one of the tall windows, staring out over the Manor's garden. Thick raindrops slid down the darkened glass and in the distance the sound of thunder approached. A small fire cast a strangely warm glow into the room. Hermione turned when she heard the two witches enter and her eyes snapped up to search their faces.

"You doubt me, " she spoke distantly. "You doubt what we can be."

"I don't doubt you." Bellatrix said a she crossed the room and reached the younger witch. She took her hand into her own and smiled. "What we can be cannot be measured. Three cores, one destiny."

Hermione's eyes darted to Narcissa. "Your sister does not believe it can be done."

"You'll have to forgive Narcissa," Bellatrix whispered and she cast her sister a dark look. Narcissa seemed apprehensive about moving closer even as her sister looked at her. "She has been with Lucius too long. It changes one's mind about what can and cannot be done."

Hermione seemed to think about Bellatrix's words for a little while before walking away from the window. From the small table by the fireplace she picked up a book and gave it to the dark haired witch. "It's right here," she said. "The legend of the Three Cores. They are meant to overpower event he strongest of Wizards as long as they remain together. Separately they are weak and useless but together the world belongs to them."

"And it will," Bellatrix reassured her. "It will."

"Not unless your sister lets go of her doubts," Hermione said and she met Narcissa's gaze. "She has to trust me."

"I trust you," Narcissa said softly and crossed the room to reach Bellatrix and Hermione. Her blue eyes met the young witch's hazel brown. "What is your plan?"

"Get me back to Hogwarts."

"Hermione…"

"It is the only way," Hermione said. "If you want the Dark Lord, you need Potter. If you want Potter, you need me. It's quite simple…" Her eyes found Bellatrix. "The Order will believe me."

"Why?" Narcissa asked. "How are you so sure they will?"

Hermione smirked. "Because I can be quite convincing."

Narcissa looked at Bellatrix. "You really think this is a good idea? Sending her back to Hogwarts, I mean. She'll be surrounded by the Order and the union will be broken. Our wands will no longer be in the same place."

"They will be once I get Potter," Hermione whispered. Her hazel eyes darkened and behind them the first flash of lightening cut through a grey sky. The sound startled the three witches. "Get me back to Hogwarts and I promise you that everything will be fine. You are going to have to trust me." She paused and her eyes fixed on Bellatrix. "Like I trusted you when I came here. I had no reason to believe you. I had no reason to trust you and yet I did. I am asking you to trust me, Bellatrix."

"I trust you," Bellatrix said and softly placed her lips against Hermione's. "I trust you."

Narcissa watched as her sister kissed the young brunette and once they parted she moved nearer. She took Hermione's hands into her own and blue eyes pierced into hazel brown. For the first time she saw what her sister had seen and Hermione saw what Narcissa wanted her to see. They were meant to be together, meant to stay together. Only together could they get what was rightfully theirs. The world.

"I trust you," Narcissa whispered and kissed Hermione's cheek, much like Bellatrix had done to her. As she moved away she caught her sister's eyes and Bellatrix nodded in approval. "We have to trust each other."

"No one can know about this," Hermione said and she looked at Bellatrix. A dark twinkle appeared in her eyes as she grinned. "Tell them I ran back to the Order if you must. Tell them I went to help Potter. Let them believe I betrayed all of you. They never believed me anyway but they are less likely to suspect you when they hate me. Just as long as you don't let them kill me." Narcissa nodded quietly and watched as Hermione moved away from her and Bellatrix. Intense hazel eyes now caught charcoal black and she held her head high. "You know what to do."

Bellatrix drew her wand from her sleeve and aimed it at Hermione. There wasn't even the slightest hesitation as she spell rolled from her tongue and the ret jet crashed into Hermione's body. Her knees buckled and she landed on the floor, smacking her face against the wood and feeling the blood begin to poor from her nose. The pain was excruciating. Bellatrix had no mercy. Her body seized and jerked and she felt the bile rise up from the pit of her stomach. She heaved as tears began to flow down her cheeks and laced with the blood. A large bruise began to form underneath her eye.

"Crucio! CRUCIO! Crucio!"

It was Narcissa who eventually forced Bellatrix to lower her wand but not until after Hermione had vomited all over the wooden floor. She crawled back up on her hands and knees, heaving and panting, and with an unsteady hand she reached for her chest where her heart was hammering so fiercely against her ribcage that she believed it was about to explode. Her face was covered in blood, bruises had begun to form and her nose looked like it had been broken in three different places. Blood had seeped into her dress, trickled down her hands and her neck. Strands of hair had fallen in her eyes and as she looked up Narcissa realised that what she had believed to be blood from the cut on Hermione's forehead were actually the burst veins in her eyes. She reminded her somewhat of a werewolf in the seconds before the transformation began.

"Let me go," Hermione whispered when Narcissa rushed to her side and tried to help her up. "Just let me go."

Bellatrix cocked her head at the sound of the pathetic plea and then she smirked. Her eyes found Narcissa's. "Get rid of her."

Narcissa's fingers closed a little too tightly around Hermione's arms, bruising the tender flesh, as she dragged the brunette to her feet. She was too weak to walk and her legs could not yet support her weight. Her body remained limp as Narcissa flicked her wand and she rose up into the air, a few inches from the floor, and Narcissa led her to the front door. As it swung open it revealed the pouring rain and thunder outside. The magic slowly put her back down and Hermione grabbed hold of the doorframe to make sure she did not fall down to her knees. Through the blood still trickling down her forehead and falling into her eyes she looked up at Narcissa.

"Wait for me," she whispered. She could barely speak. She had bitten tongue as well as her lip and her mouth was swollen and full of blood. It tasted sweet and sickening at the same time. "Wait for me…"

"I will," Narcissa answered, though she wasn't quite sure what it was she was promising Hermione.

She watched in a mixture of sadness and shock as the young brunette staggered out into the rain and managed to draw her wand from her sleeve. She looked like she had been tortured for hours on end and as she began to turn on the spot Narcissa wondered whether Hermione had enough strength to Apparate at all. Just as she was about to rush to her side and help, the younger witch disappeared and Narcissa was left standing outside in the pouring rain.

~()~

The front door seemed to be just out of her reach. She staggered, one foot unsteadily in front of the other, and stretched out her hand in a desperate attempt to feel the metal of the door handle under her fingers. She felt nothing. The pounding of her heart echoed through her head and the pain became more intense with every step. Blood still seeped from her nose and her forehead. A few more steps. _Four. Three._ She paused. It seemed too much. A light was burning behind the small kitchen window. Shadows moved. _Two._ Just two more steps.

"It's Hermione!" someone shouted. It was a man but she didn't recognise their voice. All she felt was the tip of her wand pressing harshly into the side of her neck. The feeling of the wood making contact with her flesh almost sent her stomach turning. She almost collapsed when a strong hand grabbed hold of her arm.

"Remus!" The voice belonged to a woman. It sounded familiar but Hermione couldn't think of a name to go with it. "What are you doing? Let her go!"

"Molly, the last time we saw her she was with Bellatrix. I don't think I need to remind you of what happened there?"

"Look at her! She has been beaten within an inch of her life!"

"It could be a trick, Molly. It wouldn't be the first time Bellatrix Lestrange would try and fool us."

"If she wanted to trick us wouldn't she send someone that could actually draw their wand?"

"Remus, let her go."

A third voice and this one also belonged to a woman. It was less demanding than the one that Hermione now knew belonged to Molly Weasley. She tried to look up and with what little vision she had left she watched a dark figure move closer; dark hair, and dark eyes. For a second she thought it was Bellatrix. _Andromeda._

"Take her inside."

"Andy, are you sure that's wise?"

Hermione felt a soft hand slide up the inside of her waist, patting down along the fabric of her shirt. Her head lulled to the other side as the tender hands moved up to her chest and shoulders before sliding down her arms. She felt her wand being taken out of her sleeve and tried to look up. Her head felt too heavy and she was too tired.

"I have her wand. What harm is she going to do without it?" Andromeda said calmly. "Look at her, Remus. She is practically on death's door. Molly is right. Bring her inside. We'll clean her up and then we'll talk to her."

Remus' strong hand slipped from her arm and Hermione's knees gave in now that there was nobody to support her. She heard him walk away, leaving her scrambling in the mud as she attempted to crawl back to her feet. The soft hands returned and she realised that Andromeda had helped her back up. She attempted to look at the other woman but through the blood in her eyes she could not see her.

"Thank you," she stammered and nearly choked on her tears. "Thank you."

"Let's get you inside," said the voice of Molly Weasley and a second pair of hands took her other arm. "I shall deal with Remus later."

As they brought her into the Burrow's warm kitchen Hermione immediately sensed the presence of more people. Voices died down as they stepped inside and she attempted to stand on her own two feet but found she was too weak to support herself.

"Take her upstairs, Andy," said Molly. "Get her in the bath. I'll be right up to help you." Hermione heard her walk off whilst muttering something under her breath that sounded an awful lot like "'I need to have a word with Remus about his manners."

"What happened to you?" Andromeda whispered as she gently helped Hermione up the stairs. Her hands were gentle but strong as she supported the younger witch's body. When they reached the bathroom Andromeda opened the hot tap and watched as the tub began to fill with warm water and vanilla scented bubble bath. Hermione sensed the light was on but her vision was too blurred to really see. When she felt Andromeda's fingers tug at the hem of her shirt she flinched. Andromeda seemed to remember what she had said back at the Manor.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

"It's…OK…," Hermione stammered.

"Ok," Andromeda answered softly and she once again reached for the hem of Hermione's shirt. Slowly she pulled it over the brunette's head and revealed the horror that lay underneath. Red lashes covered her chest, like someone had whipped her. Large purple bruises covered Hermione's shoulders and almost everywhere all the way down her arms. Some looked like someone had beaten her with a heavy object; others looked like someone had grabbed a tight hold of her. The sight of five perfect finger marks on Hermione's upper arm made Andromeda flinch.

Slowly she helped Hermione step out of her pants and was left with the uncomfortable task of removing the brunette's underwear. Andromeda tried not to look but the horror of what was displayed in front of her took her breath away. She never spoke as she helped Hermione into the bath and sat down on the side. She took the ceramic jug that stood on the side of the bath and began pouring warm water over Hermione's head. The blood began to wash away from her face and slowly some of her vision returned. When she turned to look at Andromeda Hermione could see the older woman's face. She was crying and Hermione cried too.


	8. Glowing Embers

**A/N: **I have had some interesting replies to the question to what you all want to see, pairing wise. Considering the subject of this story, I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised how many of you wanted me to take it a step further. I have made a decision but I am afraid you will all have to just sit it out. Enjoy this chapter. What is going to happen from here onwards is a mindfuck. Like I said, it's all about trust. ~Cissy

* * *

**Chapter 8**

"**Glowing Embers"**

It took over an hour for Andromeda to help Hermione clean up. The brunette quietly allowed the older woman to sponge her down, washing away the dried blood on her skin. As she did so she revealed more and more bruises. Andromeda never spoke throughout it all and Hermione couldn't think of any words to say. When she eventually got out of the bath Andromeda wrapped her up in a thick, fluffy towel before leading her across the landing and into Ginny's bedroom. She found her some of Ginny's clothes to wear and watched in silence as Hermione got dressed. The simple trousers and long sleeves obscured the gashes and bruises across her skin but could not hide the swollen eye, the broken nose, the split lip and the bruises on her forehead and cheek.

"I am sure Molly can fix your nose," Andromeda said softly as she watched Hermione inspect her own reflection in the mirror on Ginny's wall. "She raised Fred and George after all."

"Hermione?" Molly called from the other side of the door. "Hermione, dear, may I come in?"

Hermione swallowed hard and her eyes darted nervously to Andromeda. The dark haired witch nodded reassuringly and Hermione let her breath escape. "Yes." She had asked Molly not to come into the bathroom when Andromeda had helped her get cleaned up. It was hard enough having to show everything to Andromeda without having to show it to Molly Weasley as well.

The door opened slowly and Molly stepped into Ginny's bedroom. When she found Hermione standing by the mirror she covered her mouth with her hand. "What have they done to you?" She crossed the room and took the brunette's hands into her own. "Don't you worry, I'll get that fixed." She reached into her apron to draw her wand but when she did Hermione staggered backwards, away from her. Fear filled her eyes.

"Ssssh," Andromeda said soothingly as she rushed to Hermione's side. She took the young witch's hand into her own. The touch seemed to relax her. "She is just going to help you."

Hermione nodded, still frightened, and closed her eyes as Molly gently placed the tip of her wand against her nose and muttered the spell. The pain was sharp and hot but she felt the bones jump back into their original place. When she opened her eyes she could see Molly smile and felt somewhat reassured that her nose had been fixed. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Molly said and patted Hermione's arm. For a woman who had recently lost her son and had no body to bury she seemed remarkably calm. Hermione did not doubt for a second that Moll believed her story. A sense of satisfaction filled her chest. "Come, let's go downstairs. I have made you some soup and bread. The others would like to talk to you."

"Do I have to?" Hermione looked at Andromeda. Tears welled up in her eyes. "I'd rather…I'd rather not talk about it."

"I know," Andromeda whispered and brushed a strand of hair out of Hermione's face. The gentle touch still made the younger witch flinch. "But you have to talk to them. Only that way can we stop You-Know-Who and help Harry. I'll stay if you want."

The three witches slowly made their way down the stairs and into the kitchen. Hermione's stomach rumbled when she smelt the freshly prepared onion soup and bread and slipped into one of the many empty chairs at the table, picked up her spoon and began to eat. Molly and Andromeda shared a look that expressed both their worry as well as their gratitude for having Hermione home again.

"How is she doing?" Remus asked as he emerged from the living room. He stood next to his mother-in-law and followed Andromeda's gaze as she watched Hermione eat. "Has she said anything?"

"She is terrified," Andromeda answered softly. "She barely let me touch her. Whenever I did she jumped." She swallowed as she remembered the abuse Hermione's body had endured. "She is covered in bruises and it looks like someone has whipped her. They broke her nose in three places, Remus. I know you don't trust her but that is a lot for someone to just do themselves because they want to set someone up. I don't think she is lying."

Remus let Andromeda's words sink in before slowly walking towards the table. Arthur Weasley, Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt all appeared as well and sat down on some of the other chairs. They all waited in silence until Hermione had finished eating and once she pushed the empty bowl away she was reluctant to look up and show them exactly what Bellatrix had done to her face.

"What happened?" Tonks' soft voice coaxed Hermione out of her shell and the brunette looked up long enough to meet the young Auror's eyes. "What happened at the wedding?"

Hermione furrowed her brow. "I went with Bellatrix."

"We know," Kingsley replied. "Do you remember why you went with her? Did you want to go with her?"

Hermione shook her head. "No. But I had no choice." She looked at her hands as they rested on the scratched table surface. Her nails had snapped off. Dried blood stuck to the nail beds. "I saw her a few nights earlier. In Diagon Alley." She swallowed as she remembered their first meeting and the reason why she had been there in the first place; the reason why she had fled the Burrow. "She tortured me."

Andromeda walked over to the table and pulled up a chair beside Hermione. Her eyes found Remus'. "It's true. She came home that morning looking like she had seen a ghost. What did Bellatrix do, Hermione?"

"What she always does," Hermione answered. "You know what her favourite spell is.." She paused, as if a thought began to dawn on her. "But when it ended she did something else. She just left me."

"Left you?" Kingsley asked. "Why would she leave you? Bellatrix never leaves a job unfinished…" He paused and caught Andromeda's warning glare. "I'm sorry."

Hermione covered her head with her hands and rested it on the table. The tears came automatically and she sobbed quietly as Andromeda tried to comfort her. "She and Lucius just left me." The touch of Andromeda's head only drew more tears from her eyes. "I wasn't sure what had happened. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't think. In the end I just came back here." She slowly looked up. "I think she may have Imperiused me. She stopped and turned back around, just before she left." Her eyes widened. "I should have seen it. I should have realised!"

"It's OK," Andromeda whispered and tenderly brushed a strand of hair out of Hermione's face.

"I don't really remember much else," Hermione sighed and her eyes darted around the kitchen, unable to focus on anything in particular. She remembered the wedding vividly. She remembered the screaming and the crying and the fire. She remembered Harry and Ron's faces as her hand had reached for Bellatrix. "Just flashes. Like the memories aren't really mine."

Remus' eyes narrowed as he searched Hermione's face. "What is the first thing you really remember?"

"Bellatrix beating me," Hermione whispered.

"You don't remember the battle at Malfoy Manor?" Andromeda asked softly. "You don't remember what you said or what happened?"

Hermione looked at Andromeda. Her throat became dry and she swallowed hard. "I….There are some memories but…" She averted her eyes and stared down at the table. She knew Andromeda meant whether she remembered telling them Ron had raped her. She had cried out the truth mere minutes before he had died. She remembered. Even if she had been Imperiused she would have remembered. She admitted her weakness without making eye contact. "I remember."

"I'm sorry," Andromeda whispered and her eyes found Molly. The Weasley matriarch didn't avert he eyes. She had to face that her son had done something that had destroyed Hermione's life. She quietly walked around the table and placed her hand on Hermione's shoulder. She didn't speak but she acknowledged what she had said. But it was too much for the words to fall from her lips. Silently she turned around and left the kitchen. She couldn't face what both Ron and Bellatrix had made Hermione become.

"Don't be," Hermione whispered. "There is nothing you could have done." She looked up and found Remus looking at her. Then her eyes fixed on Tonks. It looked as if her friend was about to cry. "There is nothing any of you could have done." She looked back at the table. "After that Bellatrix took me to the dungeon…" She fell silent and then slowly rolled up her sleeves. The bruises sat against her skin. Someone gasped but she didn't look to see who it was. "She didn't just use her wand."

For a little while nobody spoke. Hermione stretched out her arms and she stared at the scratches in the table surface. When after a minute or two still no one broke the silence, she pushed her chair away from the table and stood up. Andromeda leapt to her feet and spun around but resisted taking Hermione's arm. The brunette staggered backwards and her eyes widened, like a deer caught in headlights.

"Where are you going?" Andromeda asked.

"Away from this room," Hermione answered and her eyes drifted from Remus to Tonks, Kingsley and Arthur. There was a hint of accusation in her voice and she briskly rolled down her sleeves. Tonks averted her eyes, unable to meet Hermione's painful gaze any longer. "I have no reason to stay here if you do not believe me. I will pack my things and leave. It was a mistake coming back here."

"Hermione," Andromeda tried but the brunette didn't listen. She turned on her heel and walked out of the kitchen.

"I'll talk to her, mum," said Tonks and she too stood up. Without looking back at the other Order members she left the kitchen and followed Hermione up the stairs. She found Hermione standing by Ginny's bedroom window, staring out over the orchard. She turned around when she heard the Auror come in and weakly smiled.

"I was expecting your mother," she smiled. "Have you come to get more information?"

Tonks shook her head. "I just came to see if you're allright."

Hermione cocked her head. "Really?"

"You have to understand that Remus and Kingsley have to be suspicious, Hermione. Dumbledore is dead. And you killed Ron. You didn't seem to flinch when you cast that spell. You have to understand that they have every reason to question you. Do you know how many people claimed only to do what You-Know-Who wanted because they were Imperiused?" Tonks said softly and crossed the room. When she reached Hermione she extended a hand and was surprised to find the brunette allowing her to touch her. "I believe you."

"Don't tell me, tell them," Hermione sighed. "You'd think I'd have to end up dead for them to believe me."

"Is there anything you can tell us about Bellatrix or the other Death Eaters?" Tonks asked.

"Most of them aren't very clever."

"Something we don't already know," Tonks smiled. "Did you see or hear anything while you were there?"

"They have Ollivander. The wand maker. They keep him in the dungeon. When Bellatrix took me down there he was there too, shackled to the wall. He looked like he had been beaten but he was alive," Hermione said and Tonks sighed in relief. "I don't know what You-Know-Who wants with him though."

Tonks nodded. "Thank you. You should try and get some sleep. Do you want me to send my mother up?"

Hermione shook her head. "No. I think I'd rather be alone. But thanks anyway."

Tonks smiled as she left the bedroom and closed the door behind her. She slowly made her way down the wooden stairs and back into the kitchen. To her surprise they had been joined by Minerva. The new Headmistress of Hogwarts looked up when Tonks walked in and she weakly smiled. "How is she?"

"Tired, nervous and scared," Tonks answered. "She has been through a lot and I am not sure whether she is ready to deal with it yet." She looked to find her mother getting up from her chair and shook her head. "Don't. She said she wanted to be alone. She doesn't want to see anyone. And with what she's been through, I can't blame her. She has a lot to understand. We shouldn't be too hard on her."

"You believe her?" Remus asked and Tonks' eyes darted in her husband's direction.

"You don't?" she retorted and her husband flinched. "Remus, what Bellatrix did to her is something that will change her life for ever. She says she was Imperiused. She did the things she did because she wasn't herself. Bellatrix did this to her. She did it to all of us. She took her life away."

"Ron did that before Bellatrix even found her," Andromeda said sharply and all sets of eyes fixed on her. "She wouldn't have left that night if he hadn't…" She couldn't finish her sentence. "I can't help but thinking that I asked her to spend the night. If she had accepted none of this would have happened. She would still be the Hermione we knew and not some empty shell…" She shook her head. "You didn't see her, Remus, in the bathroom. What she went through, no one does that voluntarily. Bellatrix _whipped_ her."

"So let's say she is telling the truth," Minerva said. "What are we going to do now?"

"We need to keep her safe," Andromeda said. "If I know Bellatrix, she will be looking for Hermione. Either to finish the job or to get her informant back. We have no idea what Hermione may have told when while she was Imperiused. She is going to have to go somewhere Bellatrix can't just walk in and take her."

"There is only one place safe enough," Minerva said rather matter of fact. "Hogwarts."

"We can't trust her yet!" Remus argued. "And you want to send her to the one place where she could do the most damage?"

"Send her to Hogwarts," said Kingsley and he stood up. "Tonks, you will watch Hermione inside the castle. No one will be surprised to see an extra Auror around in the grounds. We'll keep an eye on her and if we think she's not to be trusted, we'll deal with that situation if and when she arrived."

"I'll take her with me first thing tomorrow morning," Minerva said quietly. "I'm returning tonight so I can talk to Harry. Kingsley, would you be so kind as to come with me? It is going to take some explaining to make Mr Potter understand what exactly happened. By tomorrow morning all they will have is each other and if we don't trust Hermione, neither will he." She stood up and left the kitchen. A few seconds later the distinct sound of the flames roaring up in the fireplace cut through the deafening silence in the kitchen.

"I'll go and tell her," Andromeda said and before Tonks could stop her mother she had gone and left the kitchen and climbed the stairs. When she reached the landing she quietly knocked on Ginny's door. A muffled voice called for her to enter and she opened the door. The room was shrouded in darkness. Hermione had closed the curtains. Andromeda's eyes adapted to lack of light and found Hermione lying on Ginny's bed, curled up into a ball. The brunette didn't look up when Andromeda entered.

"Are you guys finished talking about me now?" she asked softly. "What's the verdict?"

"Minerva says you should go back to Hogwarts. It is safe there," Andromeda said and she sat down at the end of the bed. "She is going to talk to Harry tonight. He'll understand."

"Are you sure?" Hermione said and turned her head just enough for Andromeda to see her eyes. "Because if I were him I wouldn't believe me."

"Hermione, don't do this to yourself," Andromeda said softly. "It will be allright."

"Thank you," Hermione answered though she didn't sound like Andromeda had convinced her. When she felt the pressure shift and realised that Andromeda had stood up, her eyes darted in the older woman's direction. "Could you stay, please?"

"Of course," Andromeda said and sat back down. She briefly rested her hand on Hermione's leg and felt herself relax when Hermione didn't jump. "Move over a bit."

Hermione made some room for Andromeda to lie down beside her and closed her eyes. The darkness swallowed her up again. She listened to Andromeda's breathing and felt her own heart beat steadily in her chest. She didn't touch her but their bodies were close. Hermione lay still, didn't dare move. She had not expected it to be this easy to find her way back into the Order. It had been surprisingly easy to convince them and she would deal with Remus' reluctance to accept her story at a later time. By tomorrow she would be back at Hogwarts. Her lips curled up into a little smile as she imagined Bellatrix; her charcoal eyes filled with pride. She would betray them all. She would lie to them, deceive them, if it meant that she could achieve her goal.

"You should sleep," Andromeda mused and Hermione felt her body stiffen when Andromeda reached for her hand. "Just relax. I'm here. Nothing's going to harm you."

_No, _Hermione thought. _Bu__t something might just harm you._


	9. Turn to Stone

**Chapter 9**

"**Turn To Stone"**

Hermione woke before dawn broke. She almost immediately became aware of the body lying next to her and her eyes searched the other person's face. In the lingering shadows of the night, in those last few hours before sunrise, the other woman looked enough like her sister to make Hermione's heartache. Andromeda's dark brown curls framed her face. She looked younger now that she was asleep and Hermione realised that in the daytime it was the fear that aged her. She had seen in it in the others too. In the day their faces would be grey, with more lines than she ever remembered seeing and their eyes had lost their shine. Only when they slept did fear abandon them long enough to feel safe and would they become the people they had been before the war.

"Hermione? Are you allright?" Andromeda whispered and her eyes fluttered open.

Hermione nodded and quickly averted her eyes, unsure whether Andromeda could see something Hermione did not want her to know just yet. Her voice was raw and husky, like she had been awake all night. "Yeah, I'm fine. I must have been dreaming."

Andromeda sat up and gently touched the young brunette's arm. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

"What?"

"Going back to Hogwarts."

"Minerva says I have no choice. It is the only place where the Death Eaters can't get to me," Hermione answered. "It must be safe if they have allowed Harry to go back." She paused and her eyes drifted to the window. There was one thing they had not talked about since she came back. And she knew she had to sooner or later. She sighed. "Has he said anything about Ron?"

Andromeda folded her hands in her lap. "Not much. He went upstairs when we came home. He never spoke to anyone. Remus tried but Harry said he wanted to be alone. He never asked anyone to go back to Hogwarts. He just went. I'm not sure whether Minerva was very happy about it but he left her no choice. From what I heard he's doing something for Dumbledore,"

"He's looking for Horcruxes," Hermione whispered. Hazel eyes suddenly swam with tears. "I told them about it."

"Them? You mean the Death Eaters?" Andromeda asked and Hermione quietly nodded. "You told them what Harry is doing?" When Hermione nodded again she sighed in defeat. "No one blames you, Hermione. What Bellatrix did to was barbaric. So now they know what he's doing." She frowned and looked at the young brunette sitting next to her on the bed. "What _is _he doing?"

"He is trying to destroy Horcruxes," Hermione answered. "They are objects in which You-Know-Who has concealed part of his soul. Unless all pieces are destroyed, he cannot die. Harry has to find them all and destroy every single one of them if he wants to beat him. Two were already destroyed before all of this started. Harry reckons there is another three. Merlin knows how he plans to find them."

"You mean that if he doesn't destroy them all he can't kill You-Know-Who?" Andromeda asked and Hermione gave a brief nod. "Has he got any idea what they might look like?"

"We never got that far," Hermione answered. "We were supposed to leave after the wedding. But when Ron…" She couldn't finish the sentence. "Bellatrix must have sensed it. She must have seen something when she tortured me. She must have known she could use it against me. She knew I could never go back and trust him again. Not after what happened. She saw her chance and took it."

"It's what Bellatrix does, Hermione. She manipulates people. She will break them down and rebuild them if she has to. It is how people become so loyal to her. She crushes them until there is nothing left and then, when they get stronger again, they are cold and heartless," Andromeda said and her eyes followed Hermione's out of the window and she gazed out over the distant horizon. The sun began to rise. "It was how she always was with me and Cissy. If you can break them you can get them to trust you. It worked on Cissy. It stopped working on me long before I left."

Hermione didn't answer and quietly slipped off the bed. She walked across the room, opened Ginny's wardrobe and took out an old, slightly worn pair of jeans and a simple long sleeved black shirt. She stripped off the clothes she had worn in the night and shivered as she heard Andromeda gasp behind her. The red gashes and bruises looked awful against her soft toned skin. Hermione could feel the older woman's eyes burn in her back as she stepped into the jeans and zipped them up. As she pulled the shirt over her head she turned to the door when someone knocked.

"Come in," she called and the door opened a little. Molly Weasley stuck her head around and her eyes fixed on the bed to find Andromeda before looking around the room and seeing Hermione get dressed.

"Minerva's here," she said softly. "She said she spoke to Harry last night." Her eyes met Hermione's. "She says he is desperate to see you."

"I doubt it," Hermione said and looked away from the Weasley matriarch to inspect her bruised and swollen face in the mirror. She had declined Andromeda's gesture of healing her. It was as if she needed the bruises to help her remember what she was here for, what her purpose was. Her eyes fixed on Andromeda in the mirror. Now that the morning sunlight fell into the room even the smallest resemblance to Bellatrix disappeared. She only looked like her sister in the shadows, Hermione thought. In the light she became someone else. Bellatrix wasn't here.

Hermione followed Molly down the stairs, closely followed by Andromeda. She smelt the fresh toast and tea in the kitchen as she walked in and found the Hogwarts Headmistress standing by the table, early edition of the Daily Prophet in hand. Her emerald green eyes lit up when she saw Hermione and she put down the paper before crossing the room. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I have been dragged through a hedge backwards," Hermione answered. "Twice."

"Are you sure you don't want any breakfast, Minerva?" Molly asked for what Hermione suspected was at least the third time since the older witch' arrival. "It really is no trouble."

"I am fine, Molly, but thank you," Minerva said and her eyes fixed on Hermione. "If Miss Granger and I hurry we will be back at Hogwarts before breakfast starts." She slightly furrowed her brow when she observed Hermione's blank expression. Her hazel eyes remained emotionless. A pool of mysterious depths she had yet to discover. "Are you ready, Hermione?"

"Sure," Hermione answered meekly and she turned around to look at Molly. She saw the dark rings around her eyes, the faint tracks of tears that had dried on her cheeks hour ago. The night before she had not seen the signs of grief, perhaps because Molly had been too busy fussing over her to be reminded of her own grief, but here it was, right in front of her; a mother mourning the loss of her son. Hermione felt nothing as she watched the hollow brown eyes look up to find her own. She knew she had to say something.

"I'm sorry," she whispered softly. She swallowed as the could taste the bile in the back of her throat. She wasn't sorry. She did not regret a thing. She resented him. She resented all of them. The pause between her words was easily mistaken for sadness and loss. "About Ron."

"I know," Molly answered. More tears welled up in her eyes. She seemed to hesitate about hugging Hermione and for a second Hermione wondered if the red-haired woman remembered what her son had done because she froze. Molly averted her eyes. "I know." She couldn't speak out her own regret over what her son had done. He had broken Hermione but as a mother she loved him. She missed him. He was her son and he was dead. She couldn't look up and meet Hermione's gaze again.

Hermione looked away from Molly and her eyes fixed on Andromeda. Their gazes locked. She felt a sense of loss over leaving the dark haired witch. Throughout it all she had been the only one who showed some tenderness. "I guess this is goodbye then, Andy."

"For now," Andromeda said and she brushed a strand of hair out of the young witch's face. Her fingertips trailed down Hermione's jaw exactly the same way Bellatrix had done.

Hermione felt the cold shiver creep down her spine and averted her gaze. _For good._

She followed Minerva into the living room and watched as the Headmistress stepped into the green flames. Hermione thought about the opportunities. She could leave here and no one would ever know where she had gone. She could go anywhere she liked, away from here and away from Hogwarts. She could go back to Bellatrix. Deep down she knew she couldn't. Hogwarts was where she needed to be. It was where they needed her. Once Minerva had disappeared Hermione stepped into the flames too and took a small handful of Floo Powder. She dropped it in the flames and they roared up, invisibly and r painlessly eating away at her feet and legs. Her voice was loud and clear.

"Hogwarts!"

She stepped out of the fireplace in Minerva's office and found the older witch standing by her desk, still patting the ashes of her own robes. The new Headmistress turned around when she heard Hermione arrive and her lips curled up into a little smile. "I shall escort you to your dormitory, Miss Granger."

Hermione shook her head. "I know the way."

"But…"

"Headmistress, I'd like to be alone," Hermione answered softly and Minerva's green eyes filled with understanding. "I need some time to think."

"Very well," Minerva said and the tone of her voice betrayed the professional side of her role when Hermione reached the door. "But see to it you do not wander the corridors, Miss Granger. I would rather not hear a student was found out of bed on her first night back in the castle."

Hermione forced herself to smile and her fingers closed around the cold metal. "Goodnight Headmistress."

"Goodnight Hermione."

Closing the door to Minerva's office behind her Hermione found herself standing in one of the familiar Hogwarts corridors. It was dimly lit by the torches on the wall and her eyes darted from left to right before beginning to make her way towards the Gryffindor common room. The castle was quiet at night. Even the paintings slept. The odd witch or wizard opened one eye as she walked past, curiously inspecting her face before whispering in excitement about her return. The sound of her footsteps echoed off the stone walls and she walked without thinking.

She would have to find a way to contact Bellatrix. She didn't know how she would even be able to find her, find some safe way of talking to her, but she would have to soon. Hogwarts was being watched by Aurors. Just before she left Minerva's office she had glanced out of the window. The shadows moving outside were Aurors. Most of them were here to protect Harry, she knew, but she wondered how many were here to watch her. Remus didn't trust her. She had not expected otherwise. Most Order members were foolish but Remus had seen his fair share of how loyalty changed. She knew he would never trust her like he used to.

Without really realising it she had reached the Gryffindor common room and found herself faced with the portrait of the Fat Lady. She was asleep, her head resting against the golden frame and a rather unflattering snoring noise escaped her. She seemed to slowly become aware of Hermione watching her and her eyes open slowly and she blinked a few times. "Password?"

"I-I don't know," Hermione stammered and feigned some confusion. She wasn't wearing her uniform or her robe and could not be identified as a Gryffindor. "Professor McGonagall didn't tell me what the password is. I only returned to the castle tonight."

"I know you," the Fat Lady said as her eyes narrowed and she leant in as far as she could from inside her golden frame. Quizzical eyes searched Hermione's face as if she was looking an interesting piece of art. "You are Harry Potter's friend. The one they said had joined the Dark Lord."

"Paintings aren't meant to think for themselves," Hermione sneered and placed her hands on her hip. The Fat Lady seemed slightly taken aback. "I am here now, aren't I? So obviously they were wrong. Professor McGonagall told me go back here. Go and ask her if you like but I'm not sure she'd appreciate you disturbing her."

The Fat Lady seemed to consider her answer and then slowly moved backwards. "You may enter."

"Thank you," Hermione answered quietly and crawled through the portrait hole. Sje could see the Gryffindor common room at the other side. The flames danced in the fireplace. The room was empty. Nobody was awake yet. Her eyes drifted around the room. A few abandoned spell books, small pieces of parchment and forgotten quills littered the room. It would appear the house elves had not cleaned up after the students. Hermione spotted a few empty bottles of Butterbeer in the windowsill and a half-finished game of Wizard Chess on the table nearest the fireplace. Whoever played white was about to lose his game. She took a deep breath. It felt strange standing in this room again. She spun around when she heard footsteps behind her and her heart skipped a beat when she found Harry coming down the stairs leading to the boys' dormitory. She stared at him and neither of them spoke.

They sized each other up, just looking at each other. Hermione's hazel eyes met Harry's green. He looked tired, she thought. He was pale and there were dark rings around his eyes. She knew what he was like when he was stressed. He did not sleep. She imagined him lying awake in his bed, tossing and turning as he fought with the bed sheets, covered in a fine layer of sweat. She swallowed hard and took a step in his direction. He did not move.

"Hey, Harry, " she whispered.

"Hi."

It looked like he wasn't about to say anything else.

"Did McGonagall talk to you?" she tried. "She said she would before I came back."

"She did," Harry answered dismissively. Green eyes searched Hermione's face. "What the hell happened, Hermione? I saw you with Bellatrix. You went with her. And now McGonagall tells you that Bellatrix Imperiused you and didn't know what you were doing? YOU KILLED RON!"

Hermione swallowed hard and refrained from being a smartass and reminding Harry that in fact it had been her and Narcissa who had done it _together_. Instead she heaved a sigh and averted her eyes. She had a part to play. "I know, and I will have to live with that for the rest of my life." She turned away from him and slowly sat down in one of the arm chairs by the fire. She pulled her knees up to her chest and stared into the flames.

"What happened?" Harry said as she approached the chair Hermione sat in. "That night?"

"It happened long before that night," Hermione answered, never taking her eyes away from the flames. She sensed him right behind her but could not bring herself to look at him. Seeing his eyes would only remind of what she had come here to do and of how badly she wanted to see Bellatrix. She needed her unlike anything else had ever needed in her life. "What did McGonagall tell you?"

"That Bellatrix Imperiused you on the night of the party," Harry said and Hermione noted how he did not mention what Ron had done. "And that you didn't realise what happened during the wedding."

"She's right," Hermione answered. "And that was the easy part."

"How did you get away from her?" Harry asked. He walked around the chair, pulled up a second one and sat down so he could look at Hermione. She reluctantly met his gaze and chewed her bottom lip.

"She got careless. We were in the dungeon and I think Narcissa called for her. She left me, thinking that I was too close to death to walk. I remember the cold floor. She had not taken my wand. She knew I wasn't going to fight back. I couldn't. There was nothing I could do. She never expected me to walk. I don't even know how I made it up the stairs, let alone out of the room. Opening the front door was like liberation," Hermione whispered. Tears had welled up in her eyes. "I didn't even think I could Apparate. I just did it, thinking it couldn't hurt anymore to Splinch myself after what she had done."

Harry searched his friend's face. The bruises across her skin told a story he wasn't sure he'd ever be ready to hear. Tentatively he reached for her hand but when Hermione flinched he pulled back. "It's good to see you again, Hermione."

She weakly smiled. "It's good to see you too, Harry." She took a deep breath. "What's going to happen now?"

"I don't know," Harry answered. The rest of his sentence was cut short by the sound of more footsteps and they looked up to see some of their classmates come down the stairs. Dean and Seamus were first and Hermione then recognised Ginny's voice coming from the other side of the room as she made her way down from the girls dormitory. Ginny froze in her step when she saw Hermione. She bore the same signs of grief she had seen on Molly's face; tired and so much older beyond her years.

"Hermione."

"Ginny."

The young red head slowly approached the chair in which Hermione sat. Sadness lingered in her eyes and she searched the brunette's face. The sight of the bruises startled her; Hermione could see it in her eyes. Ginny's voice was soft and laced with tears. "There's a lot that needs to be said."

Hermione nodded. _But you'll never get the chance to say it._


	10. Through the Fire

**A/N: **It took me a while to write an update for this. I am quite enjoying how twisted this story is becoming but it means that I have to be in the right mind set and situation to write something so dark. Life is crazy and it is hard to find time where I can allow my brain to sink to these darkest depths. ~Cissy

* * *

**Chapter 10**

"**Through The Fire"**

Minerva McGonagall excused them from class the next day. She saw there were things the three friends needed to talk about and she watched from the window of her office as Hermione, Harry and Ginny crossed the Hogwarts grounds towards the Lake. There they sat down under the trees and Hermione threw rocks into the water and watched as the surface rippled before becoming still once more. It was how she had viewed her life in recent days. A rock had rippled her surface and now those ripples spread, affecting everything and everyone around her but, unlike the water, she would never be still again.

She became aware of Harry staring at her and met his gaze. "I know I have things to say to you. Things you need to understand but I just don't know where to begin." Her eyes briefly darted towards Ginny. "I owe it to you to explain what happened but I just don't know if I can."

Her hand slipped into the new school robes Professor McGonagall had gotten her and she withdrew her wand. She rolled it lazily through her fingers and contemplated telling her friends about its core. She swallowed and threw her wand at Harry. He easily caught it and looked up in surprise. "There is something about my wand you need to know. Something I haven't even told the Order yet."

Harry inspected the stick that now lay in the palm of his hand. It didn't look any different than countless of times before he had seen it or held it. "What's wrong with it?"

"It isn't something that is wrong with it," Hermione said as she took the wand back. The second it made contact with her skin she could feel the power and the energy flow through her veins. It was like an invisible presence that quietly slipped inside of her, took over, whenever she held it. And she knew it was part of Bellatrix and Narcissa. They felt her like she felt them. "You know how your wand and the wand of You-Know-Who have the same core?"

Harry nodded. "A phoenix feather. It is very rare. What about it?"

"Well, my wand shares a core as well. But there isn't just one wand out there with the same core like mine, there are two," Hermione said and she glanced from Harry to Ginny and back. "I didn't know about it until Bellatrix took me to Malfoy Manor. The moment we were in the same room our wands just responded and joined each other. I couldn't even hold on to it, it just flew out of my hand."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked. Hermione could hear the hesitation in her voice.

"What I mean is that Bellatrix's wand and mine share the same core, like Harry shares his with You-Know-Who," Hermione said and had to force herself to suppress a smile as she remembered the moment the three wands had united. The power she had felt was indescribable. "And Narcissa Malfoy's is the one that completes the trinity. Three separate wands but all with the same core; dragon heartstring taken from the same dragon at the same time."

"So what are you saying? That your wand and those of Bellatrix and Narcissa are connected?" Harry asked and Hermione nodded.

"They are more than connected. They work in a union with each other. We can fight but not fatally harm or kill each other, unless we carry a different wand. I think it is why Bellatrix never killed me down in that dungeon, because I still had my wand on me," Hermione said. "But when they showed it to Ollivander he looked terrified. He told the story of how the wands came to be."

"So how did you end up with your wand decades after they got theirs?" Ginny asked and Hermione shrugged.

"Even Ollivander himself didn't know the answer to that question. But apparently both Bellatrix and Narcissa could feel the presence of the third wand whenever they were near me. They knew their wands were linked but when Narcissa met us for the first time at the Quidditch World Cup she could feel it and no doubt Bellatrix could too when we ran into her at the Ministry. They knew what was happening but I didn't."

Harry rubbed his forehead and Hermione couldn't help but wonder if his scar was hurting now that they spoke about the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters. "Is that why Bellatrix took you? So that the wands could be together?"

"Probably. She must have thought that if the three us would be together, we could be invincible," Hermione said and made sure to add a shudder. "That night at the Manor…. What happened there… was the influence of our three wands being joined together." She averted her eyes. "I think they realised the potential of what we could be and became desperate to keep me. Bellatrix was ruthless."

Nobody spoke for a little while. The memories of the night at Malfoy Manor still lay fresh in everybody's mind and, albeit for different reasons, Hermione reminisced over that night without feeling any fondness either. It was the night she had killed her tormenter, had tried to put a stop to her nightmares, but she had found that they hadn't gone away. The images and the voices still lurked in the darkest depths of her mind and crept up on her in an unguarded moment and broke her heart all over again.

"Does the Order know about this?" Harry asked eventually and Hermione shook her head.

"I didn't get around to telling them. I might ask Minerva if I can go back tomorrow night and see them. They need to know," she sighed. "Though Minerva seems to think I am safe here. What can happen at Hogwarts, right?"

Harry nodded. "Did you tell them about the Horcruxes?"

"Who?"

"Bellatrix and Narcissa."

She hesitated. "Harry…"

"You did, didn't you?" She heard the accusation in his voice.

"I had no choice!"

"So they know. They know what we are trying to do and they will try and stop us," Harry said and his green eyes briefly fixed on Ginny before glancing at Hermione. "How much did you tell them?" When she didn't answer he drew his own conclusions and sighed. "We have to make another plan. One of the Horcruxes is hidden here at Hogwarts. Don't ask me why but I just know it. It has to be here. It is the only place where Tom Riddle, or Voldemort, ever felt happy. One of them has to be here."

"How will you find it if you don't know what it is?" Ginny asked.

Harry shook his head. "I don't know but we have to come up with something. If You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters know about the Horcruxes there is nothing stopping him from moving them. I may never find them then."

Hermione's eyes drifted back to the surface of the Lake. The water was still once again but she couldn't help but think that even though the ripples had faded, the rock that had caused them in the first place still lay under the surface, hidden from the eye. A sigh escaped her and she pushed herself up. She brushed some of the leaves and grass of her robes and looked down at Harry and Ginny.

"There is only one place where we can start."

A twinkle appeared in Harry's eyes. "The library."

~()~

They read through several books from the Forbidden Section but couldn't find anything that would help them figure out where the Horcruxes were or what they could be. Hermione watched as Harry scrunched up a piece of parchment in frustration. Dumbledore had not told him a lot about the mission he wanted him to undertake and she couldn't help but wonder if it was more like a suicide attempt than it was an attempt to save the world.

"Miss Granger?"

She looked up when Minerva McGonagall's soft Scottish lilt cut through the silence. Ginny's head was resting on her arms and she appeared half asleep on an old History book. Harry was drawing small images in the top corner of another piece of parchment. He looked up when he heard the Headmistress approach. Hermione met McGonagall's gaze.

"Yes, Professor?"

"I was wondering if I could borrow a moment of your time, Miss Granger." Her words were kind but judging from the look in the Headmistress' eyes Hermione could tell that there was more to her request.

"Of course." She stood up and looked at her friends. Ginny had started packing away some of the books. Hermione smiled. "I'll see you two in the Great Hall."

"Walk with me," Minerva said kindly and she and Hermione walked past the floor to ceiling bookcases, each crammed with books that held so much knowledge Hermione did not yet know about. She remembered the times she had spent here, hiding away from Harry and Ron or just trying to relax. Reading had been her only comfort once. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

"Have you spoken to Mr Potter and Miss Weasley?" Minerva inquired and Hermione gave the older witch a sideways glance. "You seemed to have overcome your, shall we say, differences,"

"I don't think we will ever overcome our differences, Professor. After all I did kill Harry's best friend and Ginny's brother," Hermione said and the memory sent a sharp jolt of adrenaline into her blood. In the dim light of the library Minerva McGonagall could not see how Hermione's eyes ignited with a passion that was so blinding it would soon take over. "But we have talked about what happened and I think they understand now. That is all I can ask of them."

"The Order has requested to see you again," Minerva said when they reached the heavy wooden doors that led to the corridor. She turned to look at Hermione. In the soft yellow gloom of candle light the brunette looked so much younger and the corners of her mouth curled up into a comforting smile. "I think they want more information from you."

"Is it safe?" Hermione asked and her hazel eyes widened. "Are we certain this is not a trap by Bellatrix to lure me back?"

Minerva placed a soft hand on Hermione's arm. "It is safe, Hermione. Now, you can choose if you want to go right now or wait till after dinner is over tonight. I am sure some of your Gryffindor classmates would really like to see you."

Hermione averted her eyes. "I don't think I want to see them."

"Why?"

"For the same reason I know Harry and Ginny will never look at me the same way again," she answered. She peered up to the Headmistress through her eyelashes and masked her resentment with deadly ease. "I killed Ron. Plenty of people will not believe that Bellatrix hexed me. They'll think I crossed sides and am only here to cause more trouble."

"I understand," Minerva said. "I shall contact Remus and Arthur and let them know you are on your way. Is there anything else you need?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, not really. Do I use the fireplace in your office?"

"Yes. Why don't you come with me now. You can have something to eat while you wait. I noticed your absence during lunch."

Hermione quietly followed the Headmistress out of the library, down the corridors and eventually they reached the Grand Staircase. She made sure to remain a step or two behind Minerva and let her eyes wander around. She could hear the paintings whisper and as the odd student passed them she could feel their eyes burn into her back. She knew what they were thinking. And they were right.

When they reached the Headmistress' office Hermione quietly followed her inside. Minerva gestured for her to sit down in one of the arm chairs and the tingling sensation near her toes made Hermione aware of the house elf magic mere seconds before a plate of food and a goblet of pumpkin juice appeared. She picked up one of the chicken legs and nibbled on it but the constricted feeling in her stomach stopped her from eating much more. She gulped down the juice and watched as Minerva sat down on her knees in front of the fire. As Hermione looked past the older witch's figure she recognised Lupin's head in the flames. They were whispering.

After a few minutes Minerva stood up and found Hermione looking at her when she turned around. An apologetic look filled her eyes. "I'm sorry. That must have looked rather strange to you."

Hermione sighed. "I understand. Lupin doesn't trust me. I can't say I blame him. I wouldn't trust me either."

Minerva frowned. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I can understand his reluctance to believe me but I also understand Harry's eagerness to decide I am his friend again. He has to put his anger aside if he wants to accomplish whatever it is Dumbledore wanted him to do. He needs me. I know it and Harry know it. But Lupin doesn't need me. The Order doesn't need me for anything so he has no reason to trust me."

"Hermione, you are looking at this the wrong way," Minerva said and the brunette witch frowned.

"Am I? So you're telling me he does believe me?" When Minerva didn't answer Hermione smirked. "There is no need to lie to me, Minerva. I am not a little girl anymore."

"I know," the Headmistress answered. She stared at Hermione for a little while, as if to take in the girls' appearance and remember it for the rest of her life. Still covered in bruises and with dark rings around her eyes Hermione looked fragile but at the same time hardened. It took her a few seconds to realise why but when she saw the cold, almost distant look in the younger witch's eyes she understood. A small part of Hermione had died with Ron back at Malfoy Manor. She had changed. Minerva sighed. "They are ready for you."

Hermione stood up and walked towards the fireplace. As she stepped into the flames they lit up green and with a little smile she took a handful of Floo Powder from the little box Minerva kept on the mantel piece. She dropped it in the flames and instantly they roared up higher, eating away at her robes and reaching as far as her chest. "The Burrow!"

Seconds later the familiar Weasley living room appeared and Hermione stepped out of the fireplace and brushed the ashes of her clothes. For a few seconds she listened for the sound of voices and then followed them into the kitchen. To her surprise she found less people than she had expected. There were only Lupin and Kingsley. Andromeda stood next to Molly and seemed to be helping her prepare dinner for that evening. For a moment she wondered if it had been the Weasley matriarch's idea to hold the meeting in the kitchen, where she and Andromeda could keep an eye on this. Hermione's gaze lingered on the dark haired witch for a few seconds, once again struck by her resemblance to Bellatrix.

"Hermione," Kingsley said and he gestured to one of the many empty seats around the table. "Please, sit."

"If this is another interrogation I think I'd rather stand," Hermione answered defensively and her eyes snapped from Kingsley to Lupin and back. "You talk, I listen."

"Very well," Lupin answered, clearly caught off guard by her harsh attitude. "We just wanted to talk to you about what happened the other night."

Hermione arched an eyebrow. "You are going to have to do better than that."

"Back at Malfoy Manor something happened in the moments before Ron died," Lupin said, ignoring Hermione's reluctance to speak to him. "Something concerning your wand."

_They know! How can they even know if I didn't tell them? Did they see it? Can you see such a thing? What else did they see and what else do they know?_

"You never asked me about my wand," Hermione said and watched from the corner of her eye as Andromeda slowly turned around. She realised that she must know about the shared core of her sister's wands and she briefly wondered if she knew about the legend of the Three Cores. Judging from the suddenly frightened look in her eyes Hermione guessed that she knew.

"Something happened," Lupin pushed.

"My wand and the wands of Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy share the same core," Hermione said sharply. "In the same way that Harry's and wand the wand of You-Know-Who share the same core. This means that our wands cannot kill or seriously harm each other unless the one of us is without a wand altogether. It also means that our wands respond to each other and form a union unlike any other ever seen before. It is my opinion that Narcissa and Bellatrix found out about my wand and lured me into the Manor for that reason. I have never seen magic like it."

Molly slowly turned around and her eyes fixed on Hermione. "That magic killed my son."

The brunette slowly nodded. "It did."

"How did Bellatrix know about the wand?" Lupin asked.

"I think it was Narcissa who discovered it first. A few years ago, during the Quidditch World Cup, our paths crossed and she said that it was the moment she knew. Her wand responded to me. I know mine acted strange but I did not understand why. When we then ran into Bellatrix at the Ministry the year after, my wand seemed to involuntarily point at her but I was unable to hex her the way I hexed everybody else," Hermione said. "I didn't understand why but it seemed there was a connection. Bellatrix must have realised it too and so she and Narcissa came to the only conclusion. My wand was the third one and could complete the trinity."

"You think this is why Bellatrix Imperiused you?" Kingsley asked and Hermione's eyebrows shot up.

"You think she had any other reason?"

"Right, this is enough!" Molly said unexpectedly and she looked at Hermione before her eyes fixed on Lupin. "She has been through enough. At least give her a chance to deal with what happened without treating her like some Death Eater!"

"Molly, you didn't see what happened at the Manor," Remus answered. "And it was that magic that killed Ron!"

"Thank you for reminding me," Molly said spitefully and shook her head. "War makes many victims, Remus. I had no illusions that my family would be spared. But over the years I have come to view Hermione as my own and despite of what Ron may have done to her and what happened after that, she still is like a daughter to me. She grieves the same way you and I do. Don't forget she killed one of her best friends and will have to live with that for the rest of her life too."

"Molly," Hermione began but the red haired woman cut her off.

"I know you want to apologise Hermione and your apologies are accepted. What I do not accept is people attacking others because they doubt their trust. She came back, Remus! Bellatrix beat her within an inch of her life and she came crawling back here, barely able to walk or breathe and you dare sit there and interrogate her! You should be ashamed of yourself!"

Remus' eyes pierced into Molly Weasley's for a while. It wasn't very often that Molly spoke out like this and Hermione was once again reminded of her ability to forgive. Her eyes drifted from Molly to Andromeda and she weakly smiled before slowly turning around and leaving the kitchen. The sound her shoes made as she climbed the stairs echoed around the house. By the time she reached the top step she could hear someone follow her and she turned around. Andromeda was right behind her.

"Molly was right, you know," Hermione sighed and gazed out of the small window on the landing. "Lupin is being an arse."

"I am afraid my son-in-law can be like that from time to time," Andromeda said and she reached out to brush a strand of hair behind Hermione's ear. "How was Hogwarts?"

"Different," the young brunette answered. "I don't know if Harry and Ginny will ever look at me the same way again." She glanced at the older woman. The resemblance to Bellatrix was remarkably as they stood on the dark landing. Andromeda moved closer and Hermione felt the strong desire to touch her, to hold her, to feel her. She folded her arms across her chest and shivered when Andromeda wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. Soft lips caressed the top of her head.

Only Hermione observed the flash of light in the middle of the corn field and the shadow moving closer. It was dark and thick, black clouds obscured the stars. There was no moon. Her eyes remained fixed on the lonely figure, clad in a black robe, as it moved towards the Burrow. From the way they walked she could tell it was Bellatrix, dancing softly from one foot onto the other in some twisted walk of amusement and victory. In her chest her heart cried out. The light on the landing was weak but strong enough for Bellatrix outside to see her reflection in the glass, with her sister's arms wrapped around her shoulder. Across the distance their gazes met and Hermione could just about make out the dark witch's charcoal eyes. What she saw mirrored her own lust and passion and without hesitation she turned around and her lips captured Andromeda's.

The plan was about to be executed.


	11. Strength and Honour

**A/N about the title and some background about this story:****  
**For some reason I keep going back to the different trinities, or forms of 3, within this story. Where some have been destroyed (the Trinity of Harry, Ron and Hermione), others have been created (Hermione, Bellatrix and Narcissa). The Trinity of the three wands, the Trinity of the three Black Sisters and an emotional trinity that works its way through this whole story; love, loyalty and betrayal.  
The _"Serpent_" in the title of this story is Hermione. In many mythical stories the serpent has different meanings and takes on different forms. Most famously there is of course the Serpent in the Garden of Eden, in the book of Genesis in the Bible. The serpent there is displayed as a trickster and is cunning and deceptive and according to the rabbinical tradition, the serpent represents sexual desire.  
In religion, mythology, and literature, serpents and snakes represent fertility or a creative life force. As snakes shed their skin through moulting, they are symbols of rebirth, transformation, immortality, and healing.  
Serpents are also connected with vengefulness and vindictiveness. This connection depends in part on the experience that venomous snakes often deliver deadly defensive bites without giving prior notice or warning to their unwitting victims. Although a snake is defending itself from the encroachment of its victim into the snake's immediate vicinity, the unannounced and deadly strike may seem unduly vengeful when measured against the unwitting victim's perceived lack of blameworthiness.

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**Chapter 11**

"**Strength and Honour"**

Andromeda gently pushed the young brunette away from her and slowly her eyes opened. The kiss had lasted for no more than a few seconds and she found Hermione looking at her but what she saw flickering in the other witch' eyes was nothing like the young woman she had seen seconds earlier. Hermione's eyes had darkened and she stared at Andromeda in a mixture of lust, passion and hatred.

"Hermione, what…." Andromeda began but the words died on the tip of her tongue when a bright flash of light sent the window shattering. Glass rained down on them and instinctively Andromeda reached out and pulled Hermione down to the floor. From downstairs loud voices rose up and the sound of things falling apart echoed around the now shaking Burrow.

Hermione crawled back onto her feet and grabbed Andromeda's arm. They staggered down the stairs, clutching the walls for support as the house trembled and shook. When they reached the kitchen they found Lupin duelling Bellatrix. Hermione's eyes darted around the room and came to a rest on the cloaked figure of Narcissa hovering of the unconscious body of Molly Weasley. Her hand shot into the sleeve of her jumper and when her fingers brushed along her wand she could feel it respond.

"Hermione, NO!" Andromeda cried behind her when Hermione drew her wand and the stick spun around, changing its aim and direction until it lined itself up with Narcissa's and Bellatrix's wands. Hermione didn't need to speak for the wand to respond and a bright red jet shot from its tip and crashed into the figure of Lupin. His eyes widened just before his body slumped down the floor and crashed down against the wooden floorboards with a sickening thud.

"Put it away!" Andromeda shouted and she placed herself in front of Hermione. Her fingers grasped the younger witch's wrist and she managed to pull the wand from Hermione's fingers. Instantly the connection ended and Andromeda's eyes found Hermione's. What she saw confused her. She recognised the devotion she had seen in Bellatrix's eyes so many years ago. She recognised the passion, the lust and the desire but she also saw the loyalty.

"Lucius!" Narcissa ordered her husband and when Andromeda spun around she found her brother-in-law aiming his wand at her chest. She drew her own wand in defence, flicked it and Lucius' body was thrown backwards and crashed into Molly Weasley's old cupboard containing the family's best china. The sound of plates breaking echoed through the sounds of battle.

"Andromeda, my wand!" Hermione pleaded and attempted to take it from the witch's hand. "Give me my wand!"

"No!" Andromeda interjected. "It is too dangerous. You saw what happened! You can't let it influence you like this, Hermione! Stay behind me!"

"Well, well, well," Bellatrix cackled when she discovered Andromeda and Hermione slowly moving across the kitchen. Charcoal eyes fixed on Hermione and Bellatrix licked her lips as she moved further towards the two witches, rolling her wand through her fingers as she did so. "What do we have here? If it isn't my little blood traitor sister and the filthy Mudblood!"

"Bellatrix," Andromeda spat and the venom in her voice matched that of her sister. "I won't let you take her. Not again."

Bellatrix cocked her head and her wand aimed at Andromeda's chest. "What, you plan on stopping me, sister dear?"

"I will if I have to," Andromeda answered. "Did you forget who taught me, Bellatrix?"

Behind Andromeda Hermione made another attempt to grab her wand but Andromeda was quick to move out of her reach. Bellatrix chuckled in amusement and Hermione hissed in frustration. She knew this was just a decoy. It was meant to weaken the Order and to force them to trust her. It was part of Bellatrix's plan, of their plan, and unbeknownst to her, Andromeda was in the midst of it all. A protective arm wrapped itself around Hermione's waist as Andromeda defended the young witch with her body. From the corner of her eye Hermione could see the lifeless bodies on the floor. It was hard to tell who was alive and who was dead. They were all covered in blood.

The kitchen door was wide open, inviting in the cold wind from outside, and Narcissa stood by it, keeping guard. From the corn fields a lone figure emerged and it approached the house. It took a few seconds for the occupants in the kitchen to recognise the late arrival and the cry that escaped from Andromeda's throat when a silver moonbeam lit up her husband's face before Narcissa's Killing Curse hit him in the chest sent a cold shiver down Hermione's spine.

"Poor little sister," Bellatrix mocked as she watched how Narcissa pushed Ted Tonks' now lifeless body further away from the house. She cackled. "Did you love him, sister dear?"

"You'll pay for this, Bellatrix!" Andromeda shouted. Angry tears streamed down her face and the colour drained from her skin. In the carnage that was the kitchen she now resembled her sister in an almost frightening way. The grip around Hermione's waist tightened. "You've killed my husband but I won't let you take Hermione!"

"Who said I wanted to kill her too?" Bellatrix snarled. Narcissa reappeared in the kitchen, wiping the blood on her hands off on a tea towel lying on the dishevelled kitchen table. The irony of the situation was striking. "You know, in the little time we spent together I actually grew quite fond of the little brat. All I want is to get her back."

"You can have her wand!" Andromeda extended her hand and Hermione resisted trying to snatch the stick back. "Do with it what you want but you won't take her. Not unless you go through me first. And the spillage of sibling wizard blood is still a mortal sin even in our world, Bellatrix. The death of a brother or sister by the hands of their sibling pays a heavy price. Don't you remember Father telling us?"

"Father was an idiot," Bellatrix dismissed her sister. "Besides, what use do I have for a wand when I haven't got the witch that comes with it?"

"Fine, then don't take it," Andromeda said but as she was about to pull away her hand, Bellatrix lunged forward and snatched Hermione's wand from her sister's palm. Clutching it a victorious smile spread across her face. Behind Andromeda Hermione attempted to move but the older witch kept her firmly locked between the wall and her own body. She meant what she said. Bellatrix would have to kill her to get to Hermione and Hermione knew that Bellatrix wasn't going to do that. Not yet anyway.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say she loved the Mudblood," Narcissa said contemptuously as she moved closer to Bellatrix. The hatred reflected in her blue eyes. "Protecting her like that!"

"Maybe she does," Bellatrix mocked and her hand found Narcissa's. Hermione watched as their fingers entwined together and the raven haired witch glanced at her sister, a twisted smirk lingering on her lips. "Which will make it all the more fun when we do get our hands on her."

A soft groan made all four witches turn their heads and Hermione watched in surprise how Molly Weasley stirred. Blood dripped from her nose and she had a large bruise that covered most of her face and a split lip. Slowly the Weasley matriarch attempted to sit up and her eyes widened when she realised Bellatrix and Narcissa were still standing in the kitchen. She patted around on the floor looking for her wand, crawling backwards in fear as she did so.

"Time to go," Bellatrix said as she looked at Narcissa before glancing at Andromeda. "You'd better keep a close eye on the Mudblood, sister. Sooner or later I will get her!"

With those words the two witches Dissaparated into a cloud of black smoke and Andromeda moved away from Hermione, finally allowing her to move. The young witch immediately rushed across the room and dropped to her knees beside Lupin. Tentatively she reached out and felt for a pulse on his neck. She couldn't find a heartbeat. She looked over her shoulder at Andromeda.

"He's dead."

Andromeda had found Kingsley. His body went partially hidden under the content of three kitchen cupboards. Nervously she searched for a heartbeat but found none. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Kingsley's gone too."

She stood up and looked around. Molly was still scrambling around for her wand and Andromeda recognised Arthur Weasley lying in the doorway to the living room. When she reached him she noticed his chest rising slowly and she quickly flicked her wand. Whatever spell had been put on him was lifted and he opened his eyes.

"Andy!" Hermione said and she pointed at the old cupboard. Lucius Malfoy was slowly coming round and he mumbled something Hermione didn't quite understand. She went to reach for her wand only to be reminded that Bellatrix took it. She smiled to herself; she would get it back soon enough. Instead she dropped down onto her knees beside Lucius and grabbed the collar of his robes. As she pulled him nearer towards her his wand slipped from his hand. Hermione glanced over her shoulder and found Andromeda comforting Molly.

"Obliviate," Hermione whispered and watched as Lucius' grey eyes glazed over. She aimed Lucius' own wand at his body. "Incarcerous!" The ropes shot from the wand and wound themselves around Lucius' body, trapping him. She leant in until her lips were mere inches from his ear. "The Order can have you! Your wife never had much use for you anyway!"

"Hermione, send a message to Minerva and tell her what happened," Andromeda said from the other side of the room. "Tell her Lupin and Kingsley are dead…." She paused and the painful realisation of her husband's fate hit her. "Tell her Ted is dead too. They are clearly out to get us. Tell her to find Nymphadora and to make sure she stays within the walls of Hogwarts. Nowhere is safe apart from the castle!"

Hermione hurried over to the fireplace and softly whispered "Minerva McGonagall" into the flames. Mere seconds later she recognised the Headmistress' office and watched as the older witch knelt down. Hermione could see the worry in her eyes.

"What happened?" Minerva asked.

"We were attacked," Hermione breathed. "Bellatrix, Narcissa and Lucius attacked the Burrow. Kingsley and Lupin are dead and they killed Andromeda's husband too. They're gone now. We've got Lucius though. He won't be going anywhere anytime soon. Andromeda's asked for you to get Tonks and make sure she's safe in the castle. I think Andy thinks they are launching a personal attack to weaken us."

"Well, it's working," Minerva groaned. Tears welled up in her eyes as she imagined the lifeless bodies of Lupin and Kingsley still sprawled out across the kitchen floor. Her emerald green eyes searched for Hermione's. "What were they doing there? How did they even know you were there?"

Hermione sighed. "I don't think this had anything to do with me. They would have come if I had been here or not. They are trying to get to us by killing the ones we love the most. First Ron, now Lupin, Kingsley and Ted. They know that the Order hasn't got as many supporters as it used to and the more they kill, the more likely people will be to abandon us."

"Nymphadora is out on patrol tonight but I'll get her here immediately. We can never have too many Aurors here anyway and maybe I can get her to keep an eye on you once you get back."

_Don't make me hurt her. I will if you put her in my way, Minerva. I will not spare a soul._

"I don't want to come back if it means I'll be putting everyone else in danger," Hermione said and averted her eyes, unsure whether the lie would reflect. "Between You-Know-Who trying to kill Harry and Bellatrix trying to get to me, Hogwarts won't be safe for much longer. I don't want to make things worse for others, Professor."

"The castle is the safest place for you right now, Hermione. Now that the Death Eaters have found the Burrow, we have run out of safe houses for the Order. I'll be setting up some quarters for Molly and Arthur and Andromeda. Nobody should be out there with Bellatrix on the loose," Minerva said adamantly and Hermione couldn't help but smile.

_Perfect._

"Thank you, Minerva," she answered and stood up. "I'll see you soon."

Minerva's warning rang in her ears for hours after that. "Be careful, Hermione."

Andromeda had helped Molly sit down on one of the rather wonky kitchen chairs and used a wet towel to wipe of some of the dried blood on her face. Arthur stood beside Lupin's body, mourning the loss of his friend in silence. Hermione watched him for a little while before her eyes were drawn to the front door and realises Ted's body was still left outside. It was dark and in the distance she could hear the thunder.

"I can't help but think that the last words I spoke to him were said in anger," Hermione sighed when Andromeda reached her. "Lupin, I mean. He kept going on about how he didn't trust me, both him and Kingsley." _And now they are dead. Bellatrix conveniently took out the two people within the Order who didn't trust me and you don't even think about it. You people are such idiots._

Hermione glanced up at Andromeda. "I wish I'd never said the things I said."

"We can only change our future, not our past," Andromeda said solemnly and her brown eyes fixed on the darkness outside the house. Her husband's body could not be seen and she knew she would have to go outside to find him. She knew there was little time for a proper burial. They could not wait till dawn. Before the sun would rise they would have to leave here, find a place that could give them safety.

"I'll go," Hermione said when she sensed Andromeda was about to go outside. She turned to meet the older witch's eyes. "This happened because of me. Let me find him."

"Hermione," Andromeda began and the young brunette knew what she was about to say. She shook her head.

"Tonight is not the night, Andy. Your husband died. Whatever happened between us can wait. I owe you an explanation but tonight you must grief," Hermione said and placed her hand on Andromeda's arm before heading for the door. She turned and their eyes met. "I'm sorry."

She stepped outside into the cold night and her eyes needed a few seconds to adapt to their new surroundings. The bitter wind took her break away. Using Lucius wand as a guide, the tip glowing softly after she had whispered "Lumos", Hermione looked around for Ted's body. She had seen Narcissa move it and suspected there was another reason why the blonde witch had not just left him where he had fallen. When she glanced over her shoulder, Hermione realised she was out of everybody's sight. Not even from the highest window in the house could they see her and a smile spread across her face.

"Allright, I get it," she whispered. Her hazel eyes darted around, searching the darkness. "Where are you, Bella?"

A faint pop to her left betrayed the presence of a second person and Hermione spun around. The tip of Lucius' wand lit up Bellatrix's face and Hermione crossed the few yards that separated them. Hungry lips crashed together in a morbid display of passion and lust as a few steps behind Bellatrix, Ted Tonks' body lay abandoned in the mud. Bellatrix's hands slipped in Hermione's hair and pulled it roughly as she deepened the kiss.

When they parted Hermione could taste her own sweet blood on her lips and she smirked. "What do I do with him?"

"Get him back to my sister," Bellatrix answered and her hand cupped Hermione's cheek. She teasingly let a strand of hair run through her fingers. "What happens next?"

"We'll all be moved to Hogwarts, just like I expected," Hermione answered. She nodded in the direction of the house. "They haven't even figured out you took out the two people who continued to question me." She chuckled softly as Bellatrix's fingernails clawed across her cheek. The faint sense of pain made her heart race. "Suppose I've got some digging to do. Can't leave those bodies lying around till dawn, now can I?"

Bellatrix smirked and leant in. Poisonous lips tasted Hermione's blood. "On second thought, tell my sister you couldn't find his body. Nothing will grief her more than to know she couldn't say her sweet goodbyes."

"Where's Cissy?" Hermione breathed. She could feel Bellatrix's hot breath against her skin and she wanted nothing more than to feel the other woman. To really feel her, touch her, taste her, smell her. The secret and the lies excited her. The twisted loyalty and betrayal had poisoned her heart and left whatever was left of her soul to rot.

"Back at the Manor," Bellatrix answered huskily. "I have to admit you put on quite a convincing show. If I didn't know you any better I'd think you actually cared for my blood traitor sister."

"Andy?" Hermione whispered. "Andromeda means nothing to me."

"Good," Bellatrix answered. She drew her wand from her sleeve then flicked it and Ted's body disappeared. She pouted as she reached into her pocket before taking Hermione's hand. "You're going to need this."

Hermione looked down and found her own wand resting in her open palm. The sensation of the wood against her skin rushed through her veins like adrenaline, all the way up to her brain and into her heart. She belonged with this wand; it was a part of her, just like she was a part of Bellatrix.

"Time to go," Hermione whispered when she recognised the sound of voices in the night. Her eyes found Bellatrix's charcoal black orbs and she smiled. "I shall see you soon, my love."

"You will," Bellatrix reassured her and leant in one last time. Hermione tasted the devilish poison on her lover's lips before the raven haired Death Eater vanished in the night. Hermione spun around and walked away from the spot where she had met. High over her head the thunder rolled and unexpectedly the heavens opened. She rushed back to the house and found Molly, Arthur and Andromeda standing around the bodies of Lupin and Kingsley.

"I can't find him," Hermione whispered and she looked at Andromeda. "I don't know what Narcissa did to him but I can't find Ted."

"We can't wait any longer," Arthur said. His arm lay protectively around his wife's shoulders. Molly was no longer covered in blood but it looked like Andromeda had not managed to heal the large bruise on her face. "We have to get to Hogwarts. Minerva just sent a message saying she has found Nymphadora and she is waiting for us in the Gryffindor common room together with Harry and Ginny. We have to hurry."

"What about them?" Hermione said as she reached for Andromeda's arm in support. "We can't just leave them here!"

"We have to, Hermione!" Arthur urged and Hermione could hear the fear in his words. "We don't know when or if the Death Eaters are coming back. This house is no longer safe. We'll come back for them later!"

Hermione admitted her defeat and nodded. She and Andromeda went into the living room first and they both took a small handful of Floo Powder before stepping into the flames. Hermione watched as Andromeda loudly said "Hogwarts" and within seconds she was gone. Hermione followed and dropped the powder after which the flames roared up high. She closed her eyes and called out her destination over the sound of the flames. When she reopened her eyes she was standing in the fireplace in Minerva's office and the Headmistress quickly pulled her from the flames. Andromeda stood by the window and gazed out into the night as the rain lashed against the glass.

Hermione turned around to watch Molly and Arthur appear alongside each other in the fireplace and just as they stepped out of the flames, there was a knock on Minerva's door. When she called for the person outside to enter, the door swung open and revealed Harry, Ginny and Tonks. The latter rushed to her mother's side, tears streaming silently down her face. Harry and Ginny joined Molly and Arthur and they wrapped them up safely in their arms.

"Fred and George are on their way," Hermione heard Harry say. "They have sent a letter to Percy, Charlie and Bill. They should all be here soon. Professor McGonagall said it is best if we are all in one place."

Hermione's eyes wandered around the room. She was surrounded by people who trusted her, who believed she had spoken the truth about what had happened. They did not know about the rotting of her soul, the poison in her blood and the wickedness in her mind. She was surrounded by those who called her their friend. She considered them all her enemy and they would all die.


	12. Intercept of Light

**A/N: **There is another trailer online at YouTube. Just find my profile (MysteriousFlower22). ~Cissy

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**Chapter 12**

"**Intercept of Light****"**

Hermione stared out of one of the small windows in Gryffindor common room. Behind her the flames danced in the fireplace, eating away at some of the large logs. Harry sat on the sofa by the fire, his hands folded in his lap and an empty roll of parchment at his side. Hermione had been surprised when she'd seen him walk around with his Transfiguration homework. Minerva McGonagall had excluded them from all her classes and they were free of homework. When she had asked Harry what he was doing he had replied he needed to take his mind of things. He had refused to meet her eyes. She knew he blamed her. She wanted to scream at him that it wasn't fair and that none of this was her fault. Fact was that everything was her fault and she knew it. She just didn't want him to think it.

The common room was empty apart from her and Harry. The rest of Gryffindor had gone down to the Great Hall to eat but neither Hermione nor Harry was hungry. As she stared through the darkened glass she was once again reminded of the lifeless bodies of Remus Lupin and Kingsley Shacklebolt sprawled across the Burrow's kitchen floor. Another obstacle had been cleared out of her way.

She wasn't sure what was expected of her now. She would have to wait for Bellatrix or Narcissa to send her a message. Right at this moment she didn't even know who she answered to. Bellatrix or the Dark Lord. As the thought crossed her mind her hand slipped into her sleeve and cherished her wand. She knew that if Andromeda or anybody else would see her with it they'd realise she wasn't on their side at all but she had lied to them so far, she could lie to them a little longer. She glanced over her shoulder at Harry. He didn't see her look.

The wood felt warm under her fingers as she caressed it. The chance was here. Who knew if she would get another. There was nobody here but them. Harry's wand lay on the side table. He would never be able to reach it if she attacked him from behind. He would have to die. Even without the other two core wands she was still stronger than he would ever be. He was a weakling, a meaningless creature standing in the way between her and greatness and absolute power. She hesitated for just a moment, her fingers tightly closed around the wand hiding in her sleeve, and he looked up to meet her eyes.

"You allright?" he asked and she recognised the tone of friendliness he used to share with her. She saw the worry in his eyes . Hermione nodded.

"I'm fine. Just thinking."

"She really hurt you, didn't she?" Harry asked slowly as he stood up from the sofa and walked towards the window. His green eyes found Hermione's brown. Her bruises and scars went hidden under her clothes but she could feel his piercing gaze lingering on her face. "Bellatrix, I mean. She tortured you."

Hermione took a deep breath. "I don't want to talk about it, Harry."

"I heard Andromeda say to Molly how horrible you looked when you first got back," Harry said quietly and placed a hand on her arm. "I'm sorry, Hermione."

"Yeah," she sighed. "Me too."

She walked away from the window and towards the portrait hole. Harry called her back. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going mental in this room," Hermione groaned and avoided meeting Harry's eyes. She knew he would never be able to see through her deceit but she could not bear having to look at him. Standing in the same room infuriated her. She felt imprisoned and trapped and she was desperate for some freedom. For the first time returning to Hogwarts felt like a bad idea. "I need to clear my head and find Andromeda. There is something I need to tell her."

"OK," Harry said. "I think Minerva has managed to set up some sleeping quarters for them on the fifth floor. Well, that's what Ginny said anyway."

"Thanks," Hermione answered and turned away from him. She climbed through the portrait hole and felt herself relax when she stepped into the corridor on the seventh floor. No longer worried about Harry's prying eyes, she let her hand slip in her sleeve and withdrew her wand. She rolled it through her fingers and enjoyed the sensation of the adrenaline rushing through her veins. It was like poison in her blood and it had become part of her. She longed for the intensity of the three wands being united, the power surge that it created. Here she was alone. Together they were invincible.

She wasn't quite sure what brought her to the courtyard instead of the fifth floor. It was abandoned and Hermione climbed on one of the walls and rested her back against the thick stone pillar. She rested her head back and peered up at the sky. The skies over Scotland were remarkably clear and she gazed up at the stars and the moon, silently pointing out the constellations she could see.

"Hello, my love," whispered a voice from the shadows and Hermione's head whipped around. Her heart hammered in her chest when she recognised Bellatrix emerging from the shadows. The silver moonlight lit up the raven haired Death Eater's features and a twisted smirk lingered around her lips.

"How did you get inside the castle?" Hermione asked as she slipped off the wall and let herself fall into Bellatrix's arms. Feeling the older witch so close to her eased some of the pain and suffering she had felt earlier. Bellatrix erased some of the painful loneliness. "McGonagall said the defences are impenetrable!"

"Draco has his uses," Bellatrix mused as she let her fingers run through Hermione's hair. "I haven't got much time and we wouldn't want those Order morons to find me here, now do we?" She kissed the top of Hermione's hair and Hermione could feel Bellatrix smile. "The Dark Lord has become aware of our connection."

Hermione looked up. "It sure took him long enough. What will happen now?"

"He fears the trinity just like any other wizard would," Bellatrix answers. "He knows he can never defeat us but with us at his side he is invincible." She paused. "He wants Potter."

"Everyone wants a piece of that little shitbag," Hermione groaned. "You should see him, Bella. Sulking his life away as he sits by the fire. You'd think the world is resting on his shoulders."

Bellatrix chuckled and her hand cupped Hermione's cheek. "If Potter likes to dwell in his own self-pity, I couldn't care less. But enough about the boy, my love. The Dark Lord wishes for you to tell him everything you know about the Horcruxes. He wishes to know how many Potter has destroyed and if he is about to discover anymore. The Order knows you told us, right?"

"The Dark Lord wants to see me?" Hermione asked and her eyebrows shot up. "When?"

"Three days from now at nightfall," Bellatrix said softly and she leant in. Ruby red lips brushed against Hermione's and the kiss was a mixture of lethal poison and bittersweet love. "The news about Potter's knowledge has him worried, my love. If he wants to be victorious he has to stop Potter but there is no way he can reach him inside the castle. He needs you to do it for him. Tell him what Potter knows and bring the boy out into the open."

"You want me to bring Harry to the Dark Lord?" Hermione breathed and Bellatrix nodded. "What about us, Bellatrix? What about our destiny? You have seen what we can do. We do not even need to speak for the magic between us to erupt. Where is Narcissa? If she were here tonight…"

"If she were here tonight they would know you still have your wand, Hermione," Bellatrix said quietly. "No one stands in your way anymore. Nobody doubts your allegiance to the Order. Built yourself a safety net. If Potter begins to question you, make sure you have someone to rely on. Someone who will protect you even if it means it kills them." Her charcoal eyes pierced into Hermione's. "You know whom I want to be your protector, my love."

"Your sister," Hermione answered and was instantly reminded of Andromeda's kindness. "You want it to be Andromeda."

"It has to be," Bellatrix whispered in return and her nails softly scratched across Hermione's cheek. "There can be no other, Hermione."

"Why?"

"There is an ancient balance between hatred, love and betrayal," Bellatrix said and a smile spread across her face. "Have you not noticed how some bonds have been broken where others have been created? The trinity of cores is what brought us here, a destiny far greater than any of us could ever have foreseen. It broke the bond between you, Potter and the Weasley brat. It created your loyalty to me and Narcissa and ours to you. There is only one bond left to create, my love. The one of love, hatred and betrayal."

"Andromeda hates you. If I get her to love me and I betray her, I create and destroy the final bond," Hermione said slowly. She looked up to her raven haired lover. Even in the darkness she could see Bellatrix's magical beauty. "What shall I do?"

"You have already started, my love," Bellatrix smiled and Hermione understood that Bellatrix meant the moment she had kissed Andromeda. "You have planted the seed in her mind and in her heart. Now let it grow before the flower is left to wither and die."

Hermione nodded. "I will."

"Meet me here in three days' time right at this hour," Bellatrix said and she leant in. Her lips were mere inches from Hermione's ear and her breath was warm against the young brunette's skin. It sent a shiver down Hermione's spine. "The Dark Lord awaits you."

Hermione's lips captured Bellatrix's with her own and they engaged in a passionate and blinding kiss. Bellatrix pushed the younger witch backwards until she reached the pillar and pinned her up against the stone. Her fingers bruised Hermione's wrists and the pain intoxicated her brain. Hermione could taste her own blood on her tongue when Bellatrix nipped and eventually bit down at her bottom lip. Her hands disappeared into the dark witch's coarse curls and when Bellatrix's lips moved away from her own she attacked the Death Eater's neck and sucked down on the pulsating vein. Bellatrix groaned in approval.

In the distance the sound of footsteps echoed through the night and Bellatrix stepped away from Hermione. Her charcoal eyes darted around the court yard but the shadows did not move yet someone was approaching. She glanced at Hermione. "Three days from now. I will wait for you. Remember what I said about love, hate and betrayal."

Hermione's lips curled up into a devious smile. "I know."

"Goodbye, my love," Bellatrix whispered as she backed away into the shadows and disappeared. Hermione once again found herself alone and she rested against the stone pillar, still tasting her blood on the tip of her tongue. Her heart slowly settled in her chest and her head whipped around when the footsteps came closer. She heard whispering voices and climbed back onto the wall and into the shadows of the pillar where she could hide long enough to observe the new arrival without them seeing her. When the two figures emerged from the corridor and stepped into the one part of the courtyard illuminated by the moon Hermione recognised Molly and Andromeda. In this light the dark haired witch resembled her sister strikingly. She watched in silence as the two witches walked by, unaware of the lurking figure in the shadows. They believed themselves to be alone.

"Did she say why she kissed you?" Molly asked softly. Her voice was kind and caring.

Andromeda shook her head. "No. I wanted to ask her but then…" She paused as the three people in the courtyard were separately reminded of the events that took place in the minutes after the kiss. "No one ever asked questions when I married Ted and over the years I learnt to love him. He did the right thing, or better, we did the right thing, when I got pregnant with Nymphadora. The shame I would have brought on my family, unmarried and carrying the child of a Muggleborn… I was deluded to think I could take away some of that shame by marrying him. We were young. We knew little about love but we made it work."

Hermione pressed herself against the stone pillar when Andromeda turned around. For a split second she thought the dark haired witch had seen her. She looked right at her but the shadows shrouded her presence and Andromeda looked back at Molly, unaware she was being watched.

"I'm sorry, Andy," Molly said. "I don't think I'd know what to do if I ever lost Arthur."

"When the war started we knew this day would come. We thought it would come the first time around but we got lucky. Eventually luck runs out," Andromeda said and there was an unexpected harshness to her voice. "Ted knew that the Death Eaters were after him. He died trying to help me, trying to protect me. I should be proud of him and in a way I am…"

"But there is a part of you that finally feels like you can be free," Molly finished Andromeda's sentence. "You have nothing to be ashamed of, Andy."

"Don't I?"

"When Ron died, I felt like a piece of my heart had been ripped out of my chest. A piece that will never grow back and will bleed until the day I die," Molly said. "But when I found out what he had done to Hermione, I felt angry. My son was dead and still I was angry at him. I blamed myself for what he had done, asked myself if I could have been a better parent. When I told Arthur that I resented our son, even while he was dead, I felt like a horrible human being but he said it was normal. Had Ron been alive we would have banned him from our family house. The fact that he was dead did not change what he had done. All it was make us feel guilty for hating him. I love him, he was my son and he will always be my son, but the child he once was is nothing compared to the man he became."

Hermione felt the sickening anger roar in the pit of her stomach. She felt like she was about to vomit. The pain she experienced was the same as when Bellatrix had first used the Cruciatus Curse on her. Someone had poured battery acid in her veins. She heard the crying voices in her head and his hands, his smell, on her body. Around her, inside of her, forever a part of her. Hermione covered her mouth with her hands when she felt her stomach turn and suppressed the gagging reflex. The mere thought of Ron sickened her.

"What are you going to do?" Molly asked Andromeda and the brunette witch raised her hands up to the sky in desperation.

"I don't know, Molly. Hermione is in a very dark place right now. I know she hasn't told me what Bellatrix did to her but I saw the bruises on her body. I know what my sisters are capable of. I know Narcissa is involved in this too," Andromeda said. "Whatever is going on in Hermione's head right now is being polluted by what they did to her. I can't trust her emotions and neither can I trust my own. I do not regret the fact she kissed me. I regret the fact she did it after Bellatrix got to her."

"You should talk to her," Molly suggested. "I know she's been through a lot but she needs someone who can support her. Someone who looks out for her. Harry's too busy finding those Horcruxes and I don't think Ginny and Hermione have been able to see eye to eye since Hermione told us what Ron did. For all his faults, Ginny loved her brother. I don't think she'll ever forgive Hermione for destroying that image."

"Harry should know that Hermione can't come with him to find those bloody Horcruxes," Andromeda said through gritted teeth. "He blames her for telling Bellatrix. You can see it in his eyes whenever he looks at her. Even tonight, after what happened, he still resents her. He doesn't trust her."

"A small part of me understands that," Molly answered. "He watched her murder his best friend."

"Bellatrix murdered Ron," Andromeda snapped. "Hermione is a victim, Molly. Just like Harry and just like Ron. She can't go with him."

"You think he is actually planning on leaving the castle?"

"Of course he is! Have you seen how he, Ginny and Neville are sitting together? I only raised Nymphadora, Molly, but even I knew when my child was plotting something. They know something and they're not telling us because they know we'll stop them from leaving Hogwarts but Harry knows he needs Hermione's brains. He won't get anywhere without her."

Hermione's heart beat rapidly in her chest as the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. Harry knew about another Horcrux but he didn't trust her enough to tell her. Andromeda was right. He did need her. He wouldn't even make it out of the castle unnoticed without her. Hermione's eyes were drawn back to Andromeda. She looked so much like Bellatrix that it sent her skin crawling and burning, longing for touch.

In the distance the sound of people getting up cut through the silence in the courtyard and Hermione looked up. A bell rang to announce the end of the meal time for that night. Soon the corridors would be full of students making their way back to their common rooms. Some might come out and watch the stars just like Hermione had done. Her eyes remained fixed on Molly and Andromeda. They had recognised the sounds too and the rest of their conversation was swallowed up in the darkness when they disappeared from Hermione's sight.

She slipped off the wall, let her eyes dart around the surrounding shadows, and then began making her way back to the Gryffindor common room. She had to find Harry and find out how much he knew about the next Horcrux. As she made her way through the now busy corridors she thought about what she had heard. Andromeda's heart had begun to show its weakness towards her and Hermione knew it was only a matter of time before she would find her way in before tearing it apart.


	13. The Colour of You

**A/N: **I am letting my own creativity rule here when it comes to the Horcruxes, as they do have an influence in this story. I have to find some other ingenious ways of not only finding them but destroying them as well, since anything we read in DH is no longer valid for this story. ~Cissy

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**Chapter 13**

"**The Colour of You"**

Hermione found Harry in the common room surrounded by Dean, Ginny, Seamus and Neville. Dean and Seamus were playing a game of chess and they had only just begun but when Hermione looked closely she realised that neither Harry nor Ginny and Neville were paying attention. Instead they were looking down at something in Harry's hand. She couldn't quite see what it was they were holding but when Ginny discovered Hermione walking into the common room she nudged Harry and the piece of parchment disappeared between them. Hermione sighed.

"I need to talk to you," she said and looked at Harry. He nodded and stood up. When Ginny followed Hermione's eyes darted in the redhead's direction. "Alone."

"It's OK, Ginny," Harry said and placed a reassuring hand on his girlfriend's arm. The touch revolted Hermione. He was dating her rapists' sister and he could find nothing wrong with that. Hermione's eyes remained peeled on Ginny for a few more seconds as if to dare her to speak but the younger witch averted her gaze and stared down at the floor.

"We'll talk in the dormitory," Harry said with a final glance at Dean and Seamus. They'd be down here finishing their game of chess for another while so they could talk in peace. He went ahead and Hermione followed him up the spiral staircase that led to the dormitory Harry shared with Neville, Seamus and Dean. Ron's bed was empty. It was strange to see it void of rubbish, pieces of parchment and dirty socks.

"What is it?" Harry sounded more aggressive than he had intended and he shot Hermione an apologetic glance. "Hermione?"

"I know you've found another Horcrux and I can't blame you for not trusting me. If I were you I wouldn't trust me either," Hermione said and from the look in Harry's eyes she could see her observations had startled him. "I know you're angry because I told Bellatrix about the search but I had no choice. She would have killed me. Anyway, all I'm saying is that if you think you've found another one, you have to be careful. Andromeda has figured out you're up to something and she told Mrs Weasley."

"How do you know?" Harry asked and his eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"I overheard them talking," Hermione admitted. "Andromeda saw you with Ginny and Neville and guessed you've found another Horcrux. They're keeping an eye on you, Harry. They'll never let you leave the castle."

Harry frowned. "That could prove problematic."

"What do you mean?"

"Because this Horcrux means we have to leave the castle."

Hermione chewed her bottom lip. "Where is it?"

Harry seemed to hesitate for a moment and Hermione imagined him questioning himself about whether he trusted her enough or not. He looked up and she met his green eyes. They were soft and forgiving. He swallowed. "Gringotts."

"Really?" Hermione asked, masking her surprise over Harry's sudden trust in her. Clearly her warning about Andromeda and Mrs Weasley had shown him she was still loyal to him. "Voldemort hid a piece of his soul in the Wizard Bank?" Harry nodded and Hermione shook her head in disbelief. "Where do you think it is? In one of the vaults?"

"We think so," Harry answered and there was not a hint of doubt in his voice.

"What makes you think that?" Hermione sat down on Harry's bed and her eyes wandered around the room before coming to a rest on the posters that Ron had put up at the side of his bed several years ago. The Chudley Cannon players were still whizzing around in their burnt orange robes but their most loyal supporter was no longer there to watch them. She looked back at Harry, who was now leaning against Neville's bed. "Why Gringotts, Harry?"

"Something tells me it has to be the place," Harry said and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I kept thinking about Voldemort and how he gave Lucius Malfoy Tom Riddle's diary. For safe keeping, remember? Well Malfoy isn't exactly Voldemort's most favourite and loyal Death Eater, now is he?" He slowly looked dup and his green eyes pierced into Hermione's hazel brown. "We both know who is."

"Bellatrix Lestrange," Hermione said and the name fell of her lips with remarkable ease. "You think Voldemort gave her a Horcrux? What makes you think it's in her vault? Why couldn't she have it with her at all times?"

"Voldemort made those Horcruxes before Bellatrix was captured after what she did to Neville's parents," Harry reminded Hermione and she nodded in understanding. "She didn't have anything on her when they arrested her which means she had to have to put it somewhere safe. Nowhere is safer than Gringotts."

Hermione thought about his answer. "Okay, say you're right and the Horcrux is in Bellatrix's vault. How do you plan to get inside? You can't leave the castle and even if you manage to get out, you'll never get into Gringotts without being seen." She paused as she remembered how they used to get around unseen before. "Not even an Invisibility Cloak can help you there."

Harry nodded. "That's where it gets tricky. We haven't quite figured that one out yet."

Hermione stood up and began pacing around the room. She became increasingly aware of the wand inside her sleeve and folded her arms across her chest to make sure it wouldn't accidentally fall out. "We can't just walk in through the front door. The goblins haven't chosen sides but Voldemort is trying to kill you. The place is riddles with Death Eaters and Snatchers. If we are to get inside, we need some kind of a diversion." She stopped pacing and slowly turned back to Harry. "Let me do it."

"What?" Harry breathed. "What makes you think you have any better chances of getting inside Gringotts than I do?"

"For one I am not confined to this castle," Hermione reminded him. "All I have to do is ask Minerva to let me go and she will. The Order is protective of me, Harry, the same way they are of you. I didn't want to come back to Hogwarts because all Bellatrix wants is to get her hands on me the same way Voldemort wants you. I can ask them to place me somewhere else."

"You think that McGonagall is going to fall for that? She's in charge now that Lupin and Kingsley are dead," Harry said. "There aren't many of us left. Where do you think you'd go?"

"Andromeda' s cottage is the only place I can think of," Hermione admitted. "But I doubt Andy would want to go back there after what happened to Ted." She sighed in defeat and rolled her eyes. "Looks like we need another plan. Unless…" She looked back up and found Harry staring at her like he had done so many times before. He was relying on her brain to find them a way into Gringotts. "It is easier for one person to disappear than it is for four. Go and get Ginny and Neville. We have planning to do."

Harry nodded and hurried down the spiral staircase into the common room and Hermione watched him disappear, a disdainful smirk lingering on her face. _You idiot. You're playing right into my cards and you don't even see it. Bellatrix was right. You really are stupid._

A few minutes later Harry reappeared, closely followed by Neville and Ginny. Hermione was now standing by the small dormitory window and turned around slowly when she heard the three Gryffindors come in. Ginny seemed apprehensive but Neville shared Harry's enthusiasm.

"Harry told me about the Horcrux in Bellatrix's vault," Hermione said and watched in amusement as Ginny glanced at Harry, eyes blazing. "We need a plan to get inside but, personally, I think it is impossible to get four people into Gringotts without anyone knowing we've gone. I was saying to Harry how maybe just one of us should go. It is easier to escape the castle this way but it needs some careful planning…"

"Just one of us?" Ginny asked. "How exactly do you intend on pulling that off, Hermione?"

"Got any better ideas?" Hermione sharply retorted. "I told Harry that your mother and Andromeda are on to you and they're watching your every move. No doubt Minerva knows about it as well. Good luck escaping their watchful eyes. If you ask me, Andromeda will have asked Tonks to keep an eye on you, Ginny. Did you not notice how she suddenly turned up for dinner earlier tonight?" Judging from Ginny's reddened cheeks Hermione guessed that Andromeda had indeed asked her daughter to watch the youngest Weasley.

"Hermione suggested she'd be the one that goes," Harry said and Ginny's head snapped in his direction.

"How come you trust her all of a sudden?" she questioned.

"Listen, Ginny, we have no time for arguing. Voldemort knows what we're doing and I take full responsibility for that. At least give me a chance to get in his way and get this Horcrux before he starts moving them all," Hermione said and her eyes found Harry's. "If he hasn't done so already."

"Hermione has a point," Harry said.

"Have you told her what we think about the Horcruxes and Voldemort?" Neville asked.

Hermione's eyes snapped up. "Told me what?"

"Dumbledore once told me that the only place Tom Riddle ever felt at home was Hogwarts. Look at the Horcruxes we have so far. They were all items that meant something to him. The diary, the ring and…" Harry paused and reached into the pocket of his jeans. "The locket."

"You found it?" Hermione whispered and stared at the locket Harry was holding up. It looked like an ordinary locket but she saw the S engraved into the front. It looked slightly different than the one Harry had shown her the year before, the one he and Dumbledore had found in the cave. Something told her this wasn't a normal locket. "What is it?"

"It belonged to Salazar Slytherin," Harry explained and held the locket in his hand. Only now did Hermione see that it was damaged. It had lost its natural glow and there seemed to be some black spots across the gold. The chain was broken. "We destroyed it two days ago."

"With what?" Hermione breathed as in her head she began adding up the Horcruxes. Three had been destroyed. She didn't know how many there were left. "How did you do it?"

"With this," Ginny answered and reached down for the trunk that lay hidden under Harry's bed. When she opened the lid Hermione saw several large fangs. "Basilisk fangs. Harry took them out of the Chamber of Secrets when Neville realised it was how he had destroyed the first Horcrux. We took a few more, just in case, but there are plenty left down there."

"Of course!" Hermione exclaimed and looked at Harry in admiration as Ginny pushed the trunk back under the bed. "They can destroy Horcruxes!"

"So how are we going to get into Gringotts and what are we looking for?" Neville asked and Harry looked around the small group of friends.

"I think that whatever it is we're looking for meant something to him. Voldemort, I mean. All the other items did and Dumbledore said Hogwarts was his only home. If he valued the castle so much, I bet the other items have a connection to it. Maybe to its Founders," Harry said and held up the locket. "We've already destroyed Slytherin. Maybe the others have some connection to the other Houses?"

"How do we know which one it is though?" Hermione asked as she stared at the locket and allowed its image to burn into her mind. "There will be hundreds, if not thousands, of items in Bellatrix's vault. How will we know which one is the Horcrux?"

"I can hear them," Harry said quietly, "but only when I'm near enough. Maybe I should be the one going into the vault."

"No," Hermione said dismissively and Ginny looked up in surprise. "We can't risk you getting hurt, Harry. You are the only one who can destroy Voldemort. If the Death Eaters find you outside the castle, he'll kill you immediately. It has to be one of us. We will just have to find another way of recognising the Horcrux."

"Do you think you can see into his mind, Harry?" Neville asked and nervously looked at his friend. "You know how you sometimes say it's like you can see what he's doing and what he's feeling? Maybe you can see which items he put where."

"I tried that," Harry admitted. "It didn't work."

"It's getting late," Hermione said when she recognised the sound of people coming up the stairs. She looked around. "We'll talk about this again tomorrow night. Make sure to avoid Mrs Weasley and Andromeda wherever you can. Maybe its best if Harry and I start going back to class again. It will stop them from watching us."

"I'll deal with mum," Ginny said and looked at Harry. "She's hard to please but I'm sure I can manage it."

Hermione nodded and her hazel eyes drifted from Neville to Ginny and eventually to Harry. As she did so she realised they had become the new Trio and she was the odd one out. It was another bond, another trinity. She would have to find a way to break it. "I'll watch Andromeda. We should all think of some sort of plan to get into Gringotts. We meet again here tomorrow night and if the plan sticks, we'll move there and then."

She turned around and left the threesome standing in the middle of the room. Hermione descended down the stairs, crossed the common room and climbed the staircase on the opposite side leading to the girls' dormitory. She didn't hear Ginny behind her and assumed she had stayed behind to talk to Harry and Neville. When she stepped into the dormitory she shared with Lavender and Parvati she found that the other girls had already settled down for bed. Hermione got changed in the dark, the shadows masking her bruises, and slipped under the covers. She folded her hands under her head and waited for sleep to come.

~()~

Hermione found Andromeda in the Great Hall the next morning. The brunette witch had joined the Gryffindors for breakfast and had just put down her goblet of pumpkin juice when Hermione appeared behind her. She jumped slightly at the unexpected sight and her brown eyes widened.

"Hermione, dear, you shouldn't sneak up om people so quietly. You nearly gave me a heart attack," she smiled, clutching her chest, and scooted over to make some room for the younger witch. When Hermione didn't sit down, Andromeda arched an eyebrow in surprise. "Is something wrong?"

"Can I talk to you?" Hermione asked and let her eyes wander around the Great Hall. She found Minerva McGonagall sitting at the teacher's table and the witch's eyes rested on Hermione. She smiled and the Headmistress returned the smile before engaging in a conversation with Pomona Sprout. Hermione looked back at Andromeda. "Please?"

"Of course," Andromeda said and abandoned her half eaten piece of toast and scrambled eggs, She stood up and they walked out of the Great Hall and towards the Grand Staircase. There Hermione turned around. "Is something wrong, Hermione?"

"I just wanted to apologise for what I did the other night," Hermione said quietly and stared down at the floor. "I don't know what I was thinking. I shouldn't have done it. I'm sorry, Andy."

Andromeda's eyes filled with sadness and she tenderly slipped two fingers under Hermione's chin and lifted up the young witch's face so she could look her in the eye. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Hermione. I think I understand what made you do it and if I made you feel uncomfortable, then I should be the one who is sorry. I never meant for you to think that what you did was wrong. You must be so confused right now."

"A little," Hermione admitted and peered up to the older witch through her eyelashes. "I'm not sure what's happening to me."

"You're growing up and unfortunately it's a bit of a bumpy ride," Andromeda smiled as she brushed a strand of hair out of Hermione's face. Her fingertips brushed along Hermione's cheek and Hermione's eyes fluttered shut. The reaction brought a smile to Andromeda's face. "Did you come and find me to apologise for kissing me or because you feel like you want to do it again?"

Her honesty was raw. "Both."

Andromeda tenderly leant in and kissed Hermione on her cheek. One hand cupped Hermione's face, the other searched for Hermione's hands. "There is a lot to talk about, Hermione, but it can wait till another time. Just know you have nothing to be ashamed of. You did nothing wrong."

"Andy?" Hermione whispered when the dark haired woman moved away and Andromeda turned back around. Hermione smiled. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Andromeda said kindly. "Come, get some breakfast. You don't want to start your day on an empty stomach."

Hermione followed Andromeda into the Great Hall and as she sat down at the Gryffindor table and accepted the plate of toast from Neville, she thought that this was easier than she had imagined. Andromeda's heart had truly opened up to her and Harry had once again instilled his trust in her. She glanced to her left and found Harry sitting next to Ginny. He looked tired with dark rings around his eyes. Ginny didn't look any better. Hermione then noticed Molly Weasley sitting next to her daughter, keeping a watchful eye. Something in the pit of her stomach roared when she watched Harry put his hand on Ginny's. It was the sweet poison of betrayal making its way to the surface.

After breakfast Hermione joined the rest of her Gryffindor classmates for a block of History of Magic. It was the most boring class known to man but it gave her the chance to think. Harry, Neville and Ginny were sitting right next to her and Hermione leant in. "You guys got any ideas about what we're going to do?"

Harry shook his head. "There is no way all four of us can get out at the same time without anyone noticing. Ginny still has the Trace on her so she can't Apparate anywhere without setting off a whole load of alarm bells. Neville just said he doesn't feel confident enough to go out there on his own. Like you said, looks like it's going to be you, Hermione."

"Great," Hermione said and rolled her eyes. "Now all we need is to figure out how the hell I am going to get out of this castle."

_And how I'm going to tell Bellatrix where I'm going._

~()~

She had forgotten what it felt like to follow a full day of classes and by the end of the day Hermione felt exhausted. She had barely slept during the night and her body protested as she climbed the stairs leading to the seventh floor. She dumped her books in the common room, changed out of her school robes and into a pair of jeans and a black hooded top and eventually slumped down in an arm chair by the fire. Her eyes drifted to the window. Soon it would be dark and the darkness was the only chance she'd get to try and contact Bellatrix. She didn't want anyone following her to the Owlery.

She waited for the rest of her classmates to settle down with their homework before getting up and quietly leaving the common room. She ran down the stairs and eventually snuck out of the castle through one of the side entrances. It was a chilly night and she watched as her hot breath formed little clouds in the air. The Owlery was located halfway across the grounds and she would have to follow the narrow path leading up to the tower. As she walked she looked back over her shoulder at the magnificent appearance of Hogwarts. The castle was illuminated by the hundreds of candles behind its windows, creating a beautiful yet haunting backdrop against the dark sky.

Hermione eventually reached the Owlery, climbed the steps and called down one of the Hogwarts owls. It landed on her outstretched arm and patiently waited as she attached the small scroll of parchment to its paw. She watched as the dark brown church owl disappeared into the darkness, looking for Bellatrix. She wished she could follow the bird, leave the castle behind, and be free again. Being surrounded by Harry and the others only reminded her of what she no longer was. She enjoyed seeing the trust in his eyes, knowing she had regained it, but she feared the moment he would see the lies in her own. It would not take much to lose his trust and she knew she could not fail him if she wanted to bring this plan to a fulfilling end.

She stayed in the Owlery a little while longer, enjoying the quiet and lonely surroundings of the tower, before returning to the castle. To her surprise she found Andromeda in the Gryffindor common room, looking around in amazement. She turned around when she heard Hermione climb through the portrait hole and smiled.

"I must be the only Slytherin ever to have set foot in this room," she said. "I was surprised when Minerva suggested I'd go here."

"I still can't believe you were sorted into Slytherin in the first place," Hermione replied as she pulled up one of the arm chairs towards the window and sat down. Andromeda sat down in the chair across the small table and looked at the brunette. "I could never imagine you in silver and green."

"Molly said the same thing earlier. I think Ginny's showing her the girls' dormitory. According to Molly not much has changed here since she was a student," Andromeda said. "I have to say I prefer this over the cold Slytherin dungeons." Her eyes found Hermione's. "It's cosier here."

Hermione leant back in the chair and averted her eyes. "I suppose its home."

Andromeda leant across the table. "About what I said this morning…"

"I know, Andy," Hermione said softly and looked at Andromeda long enough to meet her eyes. "I know."

"War never seems like a good time to find something as beautiful as love," Andromeda smiled as she reached out to take Hermione's hand. "Maybe I am too much of an optimist. Maybe I am just a fool. But sometimes you have to take the things the way they are and whatever this is, it walked into both our lives…"

Hermione swallowed hard. _And it is going to walk right back out._


	14. Etched in Blood

**A/N: **The scene between Narcissa and Hermione was inspired by the atmosphere and images created in the series Spartacus; Gods of the Arena. There was something about the way they depicted some of their scenes that really made me visualize Hermione and Narcissa. ~Cissy

* * *

**Chapter 14**

"**Etched in Blood"**

The soft tapping noise roused her from her sleep and Hermione sat up. Her eyes wandered around the dormitory and came to a rest on the small window that overlooked the castle grounds. Outside the glass sat a small owl. It wasn't the same one she had sent out that evening. Hermione slipped out of bed and reached the window. She opened it and the bird hopped inside. She took the small piece of parchment that was tied to its paw before letting the owl out again. It disappeared in the darkness. She unrolled the parchment and found there was only one word written on it. _Now._

Hermione rushed back to her bed, slipped out of her pyjamas and into the jeans and hooded top she had worn earlier before picking up her boots from the floor. Slipping into them bare footed she looked around and felt reassured that Parvati and Lavender were still asleep. She reached under her mattress and withdrew her wand. She stored it in her sleeve, folded the piece of parchment up and pushed it into her back pocket. Quietly and careful not to make a noise she left the dormitory and snuck her way down the stairs.

The common room was abandoned and she quickly made her way to the portrait hole. She climbed through it and once as she stood in the corridor she looked around. She knew Aurors would be patrolling throughout the night and she wasn't sure what would be worse; getting caught by an Auror or getting caught by a teacher. She reached the top of the Grand Staircase and began making her way down, stopping every so often to listen for the sound of footsteps.

She managed to make her way down into the Entrance Hall unseen and hid behind one of the suits of armour when she discovered Peeves floating upside down into the Great Hall. The last thing she needed was for the annoying poltergeist to raise the alarm. Once she was sure that he was gone she rushed across the hall and out of one of the side entrances. It was cold outside and her lungs eagerly filled themselves with the cool evening fresh air. She took her wand and whispered a soft "Lumos" before beginning to make her way towards the courtyard.

She felt the presence of the second person before she could see them. Her wand reacted and spun around in her hand, aiming at the shadows that surrounded her and Hermione's eyes wandered around. She felt her heart beat in her throat. One of the other core wands was here with her.

"Put that away," spoke a voice from the shadows and Hermione lowered her wand enough to still be able to recognise the face that emerged from the darkness. She had expected Bellatrix but was surprised to see Narcissa. The blonde witch was dressed in a simple black travelling cloak and blended in perfectly with their dark surroundings.

"Cissy," Hermione whispered and her eyes darted around. "Where's Bella?"

"Busy," Narcissa said sharply and her blue eyes fixed on Hermione's face. The silver moonlight illuminated the blonde witch's face. "I got the message you sent her instead."

Hermione nodded but couldn't hide her disappointment. "Potter found the third Horcrux and destroyed it. He believes he may know the location of the fourth." She paused and looked up to meet Narcissa's eyes. "He thinks it is in Bellatrix's vault in Gringotts."

"My sister's vault?" Narcissa asked in surprise. "Why?"

"Potter has finally understood that Bella is the Dark Lord's most loyal servant and he suspects he may have given her an item for safe keeping," Hermione explained. The corners of her mouth twitched. "Much like he gave Lucius one but we all know how that ended."

Narcissa smirked and brushed a strand of blonde hair out of her eyes. "We underestimated Potter's intelligence."

"So it would appear. I have convinced him to send me to fetch the Horcrux," Hermione answered and a frown appeared on Narcissa's forehead. Hermione's eyes glistened mysteriously. "Of course I have no intention of ever bringing it to him. Tell Bella that she needs to move whatever item the Dark Lord put in her possession. Warn him at the next available opportunity. Potter is far closer to destroying the Horcruxes than we originally thought."

Narcissa nodded. "I shall speak to her tomorrow." She paused. "What about the rest of your plan?"

Hermione studied the blonde witch's face. "I'm making progress."

"Good," Narcissa answered. "Bellatrix relies on you. I have warned her that is foolish to place her trust in another other than herself but my sister isn't easily persuaded to changer her ways."

Hermione snorted. "You don't say."

"I know what's going on between you and my sister," Narcissa whispered and she stepped closer to Hermione. The soft features of her face contorted into a mask of jealousy as her blue eyes pierced into Hermione's hazel brown. "I have seen the way she makes you feel. Your eyes betray your feelings. She lusts after you."

"Not just after me," Hermione answered and stared back at Narcissa. Her breath hitched before the words fell from her tongue. She spoke out the suspicions she had had ever since the firs time she laid eyes on Bellatrix and Narcissa together. "I have seen the way she looks at you."

Narcissa dealt an unforgiving back hand and Hermione felt her head snap backwards before it crashed into the stone wall behind her. The pain was sharp and her teeth sank into her bottom lip. She could taste the blood on her tongue. Narcissa moved quickly and grabbed a tight hold of Hermione's wrists, pressing her body tighter against the stone. She leant in and the tip of her tongue tasted the blood that dripped from the corner of Hermione's mouth. "Lust is unbecoming for women like us."

"Women like us?" Hermione breathed as she attempted to writhe free from Narcissa's grip. Her wand lay abandoned at her feet. "I don't share your blood, Narcissa. Lust is unbecoming for you and Bellatrix." She jerked her head back when Narcissa's lips moved closer towards her own and felt the older woman's warm breath against her face. "Unless it is not just her you lust after."

Narcissa's lips were softer than Bellatrix's had been. Her kiss was sweeter and almost teasingly slow. Hermione felt her heart settle in her chest when she gently met the other woman's tongue with her own. The blonde's hands slipped from her wrists, severing their physical contact other than their lips, and Hermione's arms closed around Narcissa's back before pulling her deeper into the kiss. Feeling the older woman's curves press against her own started a raging fire deep down in her core.

When they parted Hermione saw the longing flickering in Narcissa's eyes. Her lips were bruised and swollen and the blonde witch searched Hermione's face the same way Hermione's searched Narcissa's. She realises that she had been wrong. Bellatrix was dangerous and unhinged but it appeared that Narcissa was the true crazy one. She had seen how her face had twisted itself into a mask of jealousy and the lust that darkened her blue eyes was unlike any kind Hermione had ever seen.

"She doesn't have to know," Hermione breathed as she moved her lips back to Narcissa's. They didn't speak her name out loud anymore. The one that stood between them. The blonde witch's hands trailed up to Hermione's sides and came to a rest on her hips. "No one will ever have to know."

Hatred. Love. Betrayal. There were more ways than one to look at that trinity and more ways than one to break it. More ways to one to destroy everything and more ways to bring everything back together.

Hermione's fingers skilfully reached for Narcissa's shoulders and watched as the travelling cloak slid down to the floor and landed at her feet in a tangled mess. Her hands journeyed across Narcissa's chest and she felt her nipples harden under the silk fabric of her robes. Narcissa's breath chocked in the back of her throat when Hermione's hand slipped lower, across her abdomen and eventually dipped down between her legs. Hermione pulled Narcissa closer and with her left hand pulled down the robes on her shoulder, exposing the soft and tender flesh. Her right hand hoisted up the silk material until she exposed Narcissa's thigh. Exploring fingers slowly moved further inwards.

"Ooh." The soft moan fell from Narcissa's lips when Hermione's fingers slipped behind the waistband of her laced underwear and encountered the warm dampness that awaited her touch. She curled her fingers and brushed along Narcissa's swollen bundle of nerves. Her lips nipped at the exposed shoulder as she supported the older witch's body. Teeth grazed across burning flesh as her fingers dipped into the wet pool of arousal.

Hermione's teeth sank deep into Narcissa's flesh and she tasted the other witch's blood in her mouth as Narcissa's body briefly tightened before it relaxed. Beads of sweat glistened on the blonde's forehead as her hot breath caressed Hermione's skin. She rode out the waves of her orgasm, resting her body against Hermione's, wrapping her arms around the young brunette's neck for support. When she eventually lifted up her head and their gazes locked she could see the look in Hermione's eyes.

"I never intended to share my sister," she breathed as she gently covered her bare shoulder and the cool, hardened expression returned in her face. "It would appear I was wrong."

Hermione cocked her head and her hand slipped up the blonde's cheek. Narcissa was still burning hot and Hermione's index finger dipped down to Narcissa's lips. The touch was erotic and she followed the shape of the older woman's mouth. "Were you? Three cores brought us together, Cissy. Three hearts meant to be together as one. How can you overlook what we are destined to become? We can no longer be apart."

Narcissa moved away from Hermione and with a flick of her wand her robes wrapped themselves around her body. Hermione's wand landed neatly in her outstretched hand. Narcissa's voice was void of any emotion. "It wasn't my heart you were set on conquering."

"Consider it another bond meant to be broken," Hermione said softly and she stored her wand back up her sleeve. "Three hearts, as black as the night, stronger than any other I have ever seen before. Why can't they all be mine?"

"Hearts can't be owned, my love," Narcissa mused as she moved backwards into the shadows.

Hermione rested against the wall and brushed the dried blood from the corner of her mouth. There was one trinity that Bellatrix had overlooked. The one of sisterhood and though not part of the one she had been intended don breaking, it was now one trinity she intended on conquering. She looked at the spot where Narcissa had silently slipped into the shadows and once she was reassured the other witch was gone, she turned on her heel and made her way back inside the castle. Hogwarts' protection was flawed. She knew its defences were weakened. Soon the castle would fall.

~()~

Hermione met Ginny, Neville, Harry, Andromeda and Mrs Weasley in the Great Hall for breakfast. They were joined by Tonks and Ginny sent Hermione a knowing look. They knew the bubble gum haired Auror was watching them but Hermione had reminded the others that Tonks couldn't be in four different places at once. The Auror had not been there when the group had met in the boy's dormitory before sunrise that morning and discussed the details of their plan.

"You look like you've had a rough night, Hermione," Andromeda said when Hermione slipped in the empty seat next to the brunette witch and filled her plate with sausages and eggs. Under the table and away from prying eyes Andromeda searched for Hermione's hand. "Are you allright?"

"Fine," Hermione answered without making eye contact. "I just had a bad dream, that's all. Couldn't go back to sleep afterwards."

"Hermione, have you got any idea what to do about that Herbology homework from yesterday? I went over it last night but I couldn't get the hang of it," Neville piped up at exactly the right moment. Her eyes snapped in his direction and she arched an eyebrow. Neville was an expert in Herbology, but it was something no one other than students would know. "We've got a free period after breakfast. Maybe you could help me?"

"Sure," Hermione answered as she sipped from her pumpkin juice. "Shall I meet you in the common room?"

She missed the look Andromeda and Mrs Weasley shared and her eyes fixed on Harry. "Did you manage that Potions essay?"

Harry produced a smile. "Do I look like Professor Snape to you?"

"You know you're going to lose points because of that," Hermione said and glanced sideways at Andromeda. She wanted the older woman to believe that they were just discussing their homework and it looked like Andromeda missed the fact that they were really discussing their plans to go their separate ways after breakfast. Harry would be in the dungeons whereas Neville and Hermione would be on the seventh floor waiting for the first classes of that morning to start.

"I managed to transfigure my dozen red roses into mice yesterday," Ginny said and cast Hermione a sideways glance. "They didn't even squeak! Emily Grant tried as well and her roses were running around the classroom, screeching! McGonagall will have to give me points for it today!"

Hermione nodded. "Good." She put down her goblet and pushed her breakfast around her plate. "I'm not really hungry. Neville, why don't we do that Herbology stuff you wanted me to look at now? We still have that essay for History of Magic to finish as well." She looked sideways at Andromeda. "I'll see you later?"

"Sure," Andromeda answered, a little bemused by the fact Hermione seemed so eager to do her school work. "Maybe we can go for a walk tonight. I remember the grounds being lovely when it's a full moon."

Hermione nodded and smiled. "I'd like that."

She and Neville walked out of the Great Hall and once they were out hearing range, Hermione turned to him and smiled. "Good going, Neville. So Harry will be in Potions and Ginny's in class with McGonagall. Chances are that Tonks will be watching them two which means all we have to worry about is Mrs Weasley and Andromeda. Now I seem to remember Mrs Weasley sharing a certain fondness for Herbology. She helped Ginny with her homework once. You can keep her busy while I make my way out."

"What about Andromeda? And how do you plan on leaving the castle?" Neville asked and Hermione smirked.

"Sometimes it's better not to ask questions, Neville," she said and patted him on the shoulder. "Come on. We don't want them finding us here talking." She sprinted up the stairs and he was right on her heels. They eventually reached the seventh floor and found two seats by the window. Neville produced his Herbology homework, which cleverly concealed the notes he, Harry and Ginny had been making. Harry had made a drawing of what he remembered Gringotts to look like though Hermione knew there was far more to the goblin controlled bank than first appearances suggested. Attached to the drawings was as much information as Harry had managed to gather about goblins as well as Bellatrix Lestrange.

"We'll wait for first period to start," Hermione said as she flicked through the parchment. "Once everybody's in class I'll go downstairs to the courtyard and make my way out of the grounds from there. It's about a ten minute walk to the main gates and another twenty in Hogsmeade. I'll use the Floo Network in the Three Broomsticks." She looked up and could see the question burning on Neville's lips. She pointed at Harry's old grey hooded top that lay on the sofa. Something had been neatly folded and tucked underneath it. "I'll take Harry's cloak."

In the distance a bell rang that signalled the end of breakfast and Neville quickly hid the notes in his History of Magic book that lay next to him on the table. He opened his Herbology text book and he and Hermione pretended to be working when ten minutes later Andromeda and Mrs Weasley appeared in the common room. Hermione looked at Neville. He met her gaze.

"Crap," Hermione hissed and pointed at the sofa. "Harry's left his jumper here. Those dungeons are bloody cold!" She stood up and picked the jumper as well as the cloak up from the sofa and clutched them in front of her chest. "I'll just run down and bring it to him. Mrs Weasley, do you think you can help Neville?"

"Of course, dear," Molly answered and she looked at Andromeda. "I remember you being the best one when it came to plants in your year, Andy."

"I always did Bella's and Cissy's homework for them," Andromeda answered with a fading smile and pulled up a chair. "Let's have a look."

_Insolent fools, _Hermione thought as she climbed through the portrait hole. _You're even di__m__mer than I thought. _She took Harry's Invisibility Cloak from under the jumper and threw it over herself. She made her way down the Grand Staircase and left the jumper on the bottom step as a sign. She snuck her way out of the castle through one of the side doors and crossed the corridor towards the courtyard. As she walked past the spot where she had met Narcissa in the night a smile spread across her face but she kept walking until she eventually reached the castle grounds. In the distance she could hear the dubious sounds of a group of third year Ravenclaws having their Care of Magical Creatures lesson. It sounded like Hagrid was introducing them to Blast Ended Skrewts.

The gates that provided entrance to the Hogwarts grounds was located at the end of a sandy path that led through the trees. The fence was high and covered the whole of the grounds, apart from the Forbidden Forrest. No one ever went there voluntarily. Hermione drew her wand from her sleeve and rolled it through her fingers. She suspected this was the way Bellatrix and Narcissa had found their way inside the castle. Bellatrix had said something about Draco having his uses. She took a step forward and placed the tip of her wand against the cold metal. She had suspected the protective enchantments to throw her back but nothing happened. Slowly she moved her wands towards the handle before she drew a circle around it and then pulled it down. The gate opened silently, revealing the path that led down into Hogsmeade village.

"Brilliant," Hermione smiled to herself. "Draco paid more attention in Charms than I thought. It's an ingenious way of using both magic and wand. You don't actually have to touch anything." She suspected it was developed just for the three linked cores.

She glanced over her shoulder at the castle behind her and then quickly hurried her way down the narrow, winding path that led through the forest. In the distance she could see the rooftops of the small village in the valley. She didn't have to go that far. All she had to was to make sure she was far enough away from the protective spells that surrounded the castle. After about ten minutes Hermione stopped walking, clutched her wand before turning on the spot and she Dissaparated with a faint 'pop'.

~()~

She reappeared in the middle of Diagon Alley and looked around. The cobbled alleyway was abandoned and most of the shops were boarded up. These days the once so crowded wizard shopping street looked far more like Knockturn Alley. Hermione turned on her heel and quickly stepped out of the way of an oncoming wizard. Her eyes fixed on the Gringotts building and with a confident stride she walked towards it. Not entirely to her surprise she found a dark cloaked figure waiting for her in the alleyway next to the bank. Bellatrix lowered her hood and Hermione knew that the raven haired witch had felt their wands connect. Hermione felt her own wand glow in her hand and with one casual move she pulled down her cloak and revealed herself. Bellatrix smirked.

"You got my message," Hermione concluded. "I wasn't sure if Narcissa would reach you in time."

Bellatrix smiled. "My sister is very efficient."

"So I've noticed," Hermione said knowingly. Her gaze dropped to the small black pouch Bellatrix held in her hand. "Did you get it?"

"When Narcissa mentioned an object given to me by the Dark Lord, only one came to mind," Bellatrix said and Hermione arched an eyebrow in curiosity. Bellatrix opened the pouch, reached inside and took out a small cup. Hermione thought it looked more like a goblet. "He placed it in my protection many years ago. Yesterday was the first time someone reminded me of its existence." She turned the cup round in her hand, inspecting it. "What does Potter want with it?"

"He wants to destroy it. They have gathered a small stash of Basilisk fangs from the Chamber of Secrets. It appears the venom can destroy these Horcruxes," Hermione answered. "They already have three of them, Bella. I don't know how many more there are but this one can never be found. Take it somewhere else. Keep it at the Manor if you must."

"You'll need this then," Bellatrix said and reached into the pocket of her robes. She took out an identical cup, stuffed it in the pouch and gave it to Hermione. "You can't go back to Potter empty handed."

"He is never going to believe this is the real thing," Hermione said solemnly. "The piece of the Dark Lord's soul that was hidden in the diary tried to kill him and the ring poisoned Dumbledore. Potter will know this isn't the real Horcrux." She handed the pouch back to Bellatrix. "I'd be better off returning empty handed. Add to his despair. He wouldn't know what to do if I didn't bring him the damn cup. He doesn't even know what it is he sent me to look for anyway!"

Bellatrix's eyes lit up. "Very well. Since there is nothing left for you to do here, you should come with me."

Hermione's eyes darkened. "Why?"

"Just some harmless fun," Bellatrix said and she leant in. Hot, ruby lips brushed against Hermione's and a wandering hand slipped into the brunette's hair. A nail scratched across Hermione's cheek, drawing blood. "I missed you, you see."

Hermione smirked and grasped a hold of Bellatrix's hand. She recognised the jerky feeling of Apparition near her belly button, closed her eyes and when she reopened them she recognised Malfoy Manor. In daylight it looked far less haunting and Hermione was struck by the sound of the waterfall in the gardens behind the gate. It was such a peaceful sound for a place that knew no safety. She followed Bellatrix as the gates swung open, revealing the gravelled path that led to the wooden front doors. Once inside she silently climbed the marble staircase to the second floor, her eyes peeled on Bellatrix's shape all the while. At the top of the stairs the raven haired Death Eater turned around. The tip of her tongue wet her lips.

"You look far too _decent _for someone who will have fought for this useless thing," she said as she swung the pouch around on her index finger. Her free hand closed around Hermione's arm and she pulled the young brunette towards her. Hungry lips crashed down on Hermione's and she eagerly leant in to the kiss. Bellatrix lips tasted of blood and poison.

"Come," Bellatrix whispered as she forcefully dragged Hermione along with her across the landing towards the bedroom she had claimed the first night she returned to Malfoy Manor.

Hermione willingly followed.


	15. The Broken Lives of Us

**A/N: **The magical 200. You honour me with your reviews! Thank you so much. ~Cissy

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**Chapter 15**

"**The Broken Lives of Us"**

Bellatrix's lips were burning as they caressed her skin. Sharp nails clawed at her flesh and Hermione could feel the warmth of her blood trickling down her face, shoulders and stomach. The raven haired Death Eater straddled her and lust filled charcoal eyes stared down at the young witch pinned down underneath her. Hermione's fingers dug deeply into the mattress as she stared up at the dark goddess, desire flickering in her hazel eyes. She had not planned on giving in so easily but she could not resist Bellatrix. As the midmorning sun fell through the window across the bed their naked bodies moved simultaneously together and Bellatrix moaned passionately as she threw her head back. A waterfall of black ringlets rained down across her back as Hermione's hands reached up and cupped the older woman's full breasts.

Bellatrix's teeth sank down into her bottom lip when Hermione's slender fingers slid down from the swell of her breasts across her abdomen and came to a rest on her hipbone. Nails scratched across burning flesh, leaving behind red marks, before sliding down towards Bellatrix's hips and dipping between her thighs. There she encountered the hot dampness she had been so eager to find. The moan that escaped Bellatrix's throat sent Hermione's heart racing and she smiled as her fingers began to explore her lover. She lifted herself up and wrapped her other arm around the raven haired witch's back, pulling Bellatrix deeper into her. Bellatrix's body rocked and moved quicker against Hermione's exploring hand and her thumb rubbed against the swollen bundle of nerves.

Hermione's sucked down on the older woman's pulse point in her neck and the groan she received in return made her smile against Bellatrix's flesh. Hungry teeth bit into Bellatrix's shoulder, much like she had to Narcissa the night before, and she felt Bellatrix's fingernails dig deeply into her back as her body briefly seized up before collapsing against Hermione's. Her dark curls stuck to her forehead and their bodies were covered in a thin layer of sweat. Hermione pressed Bellatrix's trembling body against her own, kissing tenderly the spot where she had bit her seconds before.

Bellatrix's head bent down and she captured one of Hermione's nipples in her mouth. Her breath was hot against sizzling flesh and Hermione lazily lay herself back down against the cushions. Bellatrix responded with skill and one hand found the swell of Hermione's left breast as the right began to journey down towards her thighs. Her tongue flicked over the nipple one last time before she teasingly kissed her way across Hermione's stomachs and softly bit down on the inside of the brunette's thigh.

Hermione's fingers tangled into raven curls as she felt Bellatrix's tongue move further towards where she wanted her most. She arched her back and moaned in appreciation when two slender digits moved inside of her. Bellatrix's other hand reached up and squeezed Hermione's breasts as her lips and tongue moved playfully between the brunette's thighs. Hermione's head fell to one side, her pupils dilated and she smiled as she discovered the set of blue eyes that watched them from the half open door.

~()~

It was almost nightfall when she zipped up her jeans and readjusted her hooded top. She turned to see Bellatrix sitting on the side of the bed, a bloody bite-mark still clearly visible on her neck. Hermione smiled deviously as she walked back towards her lover and brushed aside a strand of black hair, revealing the red scratch across Bellatrix's cheek. It matched her own. Dried blood still stuck to her skin.

"Potter will be wondering where I am," Hermione said with a teasing smile. Her eyes had lost their shine. The lust that had lingered in them hours earlier was long gone. Behind them the sun was setting below the horizon, painting the skies in shades of blood red and fiery orange. Darkness would soon be here. Hermione's eyes searched Bellatrix's face. "You know what you need to do."

"Crucio!"

The spell had not fallen from Bellatrix's lips and Hermione collapsed onto the hard wooden floor. Bellatrix leapt to her feet and spun around to find her sister standing in the open door, wand drawn. Jealousy had spread across Narcissa's face and it wasn't until she saw the blood pour from Hermione's nose that she withdrew her wand. Bellatrix rushed to her sister's side and pried the wand from her fingers.

"What is the meaning of this, Cissy?" she demanded as she stored her sister's wand with her own. She felt the two wands fight against her control. They wanted to connect with Hermione's. Their magic began to fill the room and its pressure increased as the seconds began to pass. An empty wine glass on the bedside table burst without warning and broken glass littered the floor.

"We both know the answer to that," Narcissa answered as her blue eyes found Bellatrix. In front of them Hermione crawled back to her feet, clutching her nose. Blood trickled through her fingers and had begun to seep into her clothes. She had hit her head when she fell and a large bruise began to form across her cheek. This had been what she wanted, to look like she had been in a battle, but she also knew that Narcissa's reasons for attacking her were different.

"Leave her, Bella," Hermione said as she checked her sleeve for her wand. She glanced out of the window. The last rays of sunshine had disappeared. "It is time."

She began walking to the door and pushed past the two witches. Both turned to watch Hermione and she turned around long enough for their gazes to lock with hers. She sensed the betrayal between them. Bellatrix did not know about Narcissa but Narcissa had seen them. She knew what they shared, what they had become, how they had become entangled in a game of lies, shadows and darkness. Hermione saw the way the blonde looked at her deranged sister, a way in which no sister should look at her own blood, and in this moment she questioned which one of them was truly insane. Perhaps they all were.

"I shall return when the Dark Lord calls for me," she said and her voice was void of any emotion. In the back of her mind she remembered Andromeda, asking her to join her in the moonlight tonight. The final piece in another trinity would fall into place. "Keep the Horcrux safe, Bella. Potter is my problem now. The Dark Lord wants him so he will have him."

With those words she left the two sisters standing in the bedroom and began making her way down the staircase. She had left the Manor and stepped into the cool evening air by the time Bellatrix had reached the front door. She found Hermione walking down the gravelled path and flicked her wand. The spell grabbed hold of Hermione's ankles and she fell face forward onto the stones. She relished in the pain as it spread through her bloodstream. She fought the magical robes around her feet and managed to roll onto her back before Bellatrix reached her. She drew her wand quicker than the raven haired Death Eater had expected and cast a Shield Charm between them when Bellatrix went to hex her again.

"My own sister?" Bellatrix panted as she stared down at the brunette lying in the gravel.

"Don't act like it's something that repulses you," Hermione said and waved her wand. The robes that bound her vanished and she leapt to her feet. "It's like I said to Narcissa. Three hearts brought us together. None of us can ever be apart." Bellatrix didn't answer and watched as Hermione slowly stored her wand. "Love, hatred and betrayal, my love. In so many more ways than one. Destiny made us one and destiny will keep us as one."

She left the raven haired Death Eater standing near the front doors and eventually reached the metal gates that surrounded Malfoy Manor. They swung open and she stepped through them. As the gates closed behind her she looked back over her shoulder and found Bellatrix staring at her from where she had left her. As her eyes wandered up to one of the windows she found Narcissa watching her from behind the glass. Two sets of eyes and they had seen betrayal. Hermione's breath hitched before turning on the spot. She Dissaparated and reappeared just outside the gates of Hogwarts. From where she stood she stared up at the castle, its windows lit up by hundreds of candles. With the darkness ever increasing, she realises she had little time left to find her way back inside the castle and join Harry and the others. She walked up the path leading towards the gates, her pace slowed by the pain in her side and her back. She drew her wand and placed its tip against the handle of the gate. She made the drawing motion and the handle moved before the gates swung open. Hermione stepped back into the Hogwarts grounds and looked over her shoulder long enough to see the gates close and the magic restore.

She began running up to the castle but gave up when she felt her legs could no longer support her weight. She was tired and weak. Bellatrix had been passionate, if not vicious, in her love making and her body bore the marks of her assault. Red lashes covered her back, bruises and scratches desecrated her arms and legs. The bruise where her face had landed against the wooden floor had turned a dark shade of purple; her lip was cut and her nose bloody. She looked like she had been in a fight for survival and it was exactly what she wanted Harry to believe.

She skilfully avoided two Aurors that were patrolling the corridors and realised from the general quietness in the castle that it had to be dinner time. Everyone would be in the Great Hall. She couldn't just burst in, covered in blood. Hermione suspected that by now everyone would have realised she was gone though she doubted anyone would have realised she actually left the castle, unless Harry had told them. She cast a quick glance at the large doors separating her from the Great Hall and began making her way up to the seventh floor. She reached the girls' dormitories, stripped herself from her clothing and stepped into the shower room that was connected to the sleeping arrangements. She sponged down her bruised and battered flesh and washed away the dried blood as well as Bellatrix's scent that lingered on her skin.

She got dressed in a simple pair of black trousers and a white, long sleeved shirt. She stood in front of the mirror and stared at the bruises and scratches across her face and neck. Damp curls fell down the sides of her face and Hermione's head snapped up when she recognised the sound of footsteps approaching the girls' dormitory. She spun around and felt her breath choke when she found Andromeda stepping into the room. The brunette witch's eyes widened when she discovered the younger woman standing by the mirror.

"Merlin's beard, Hermione, what happened to you? Where have you been?" Andromeda asked as she rushed across the room. She placed her hands on Hermione's arms and observed the flinch as it flashed across her face. "Harry and Ginny didn't say… Molly kept asking but they refused to speak. Hermione, what were you thinking?"

"It needed to be done," Hermione said distantly as she gently though urgently removed Andromeda's hands from her arms. She averted her eyes. "I need to speak to Harry."

"Not until you tell me what's going on here. Look at you, you look like you have been in a fight!" Andromeda said and attempted to touch the sore looking bruise on Hermione's face. Tears had welled up in her chocolate coloured eyes. "Whatever Harry's doing, how dare he ask you to do it for him? Doesn't he remember what happened to you? First Ron and then Bellatrix? Has he forgotten what she did to you?"

"No, he hasn't," Hermione said through gritted teeth. "It was my idea."

"Hermione…"

The plea fell onto deaf ears as Hermione skilfully dived under Andromeda's arms and rushed out of the dormitory. She fled down the stairs and into the common room. There she found Harry, Ginny and Neville by the fireplace. They were not alone. Molly Weasley stood beside them and the four of them looked up. Horror spread across Molly's face when she saw the state that Hermione was in. Hermione recognised the desperation in Harry's eyes and she faintly shook her head. Desperation was replaced by defeat.

"Hermione!" Molly crossed the room to Hermione's side. Taking the young witch's hand she spun back around to Harry. "What is the meaning of this? Where has she been? What is it you made her do?"

"He didn't make me do anything," Hermione interjected. "It was my idea. It needed to be done. There is only one way of stopping Voldemort." She freed herself from Molly's grip, circled the sofa and ended up clutching Harry's hands. "It wasn't there, Harry. Bellatrix must have moved it. Voldemort knows what we're up to. He knows you're looking for the Horcruxes. I managed to get in but…" Her voice trailed off. "The goblins put up a fight. If you ask me, they're siding with him now."

"You tried. There is nothing more you could have done." Harry sounded deflated and he sank down onto the sofa. Ginny sat down beside him. "We'll just have to keep on searching."

"Searching?" Molly echoed. She looked up to find Andromeda descending into the common room.

"The Horcruxes," Andromeda said quietly. She understood now. "Hermione talked about them when she first came back to the Burrow. She told Bellatrix about them when she tortured her. Voldemort knows. That is what you're looking for, isn't it?" Her eyes searched for Hermione's. "A way to destroy him?"

"Yes," Ginny said and looked up from where she was sitting. "We had come to suspect that one of them was kept in Bellatrix's vault. Hermione offered to and try and get it. Nobody else could." She shook her head in sadness. "We failed. We may never find any of the others now. With the Horcruxes intact Voldemort can never die. He will live forever."

Harry clenched his teeth. "I guess I will just have to live forever and a day then."

"Hermione?" Andromeda said softly and Hermione looked up. There was a desolate feeling lingering in the common room. Everyone understood what the absence of this Horcrux meant. They were further away from destroying Voldemort than they had ever been before. Deprived of their last glimmer of hope they were now left to accept the fact that maybe they were not meant to win at all. "Can we talk?"

"Sure," Hermione breathed and she moved away from Molly and towards Andromeda. She took the older witch's hand. Her skin felt new and unfamiliar under her touch. "We can go to the Lake. It's beautiful at night."

They left the common room without speaking further and they made their way down the Grand Staircase in silence. Hermione saw from the corner of her eye how the Grey Lady, the ghost of Ravenclaw Tower, watched their descent with a solemn expression on her face. Even the ghosts could feel the coming danger. It was as if tonight something had changed within these castle walls. No one other than the Order members knew about the Horcruxes and only few knew of their failure. By dawn the world would have changed in the Dark Lord's favour. _And in mine. _

"I forgot how quiet the grounds are at night," Andromeda said. "I remember Ted once telling me that if you're sitting somewhere long enough, you can hear the centaurs in the Forbidden Forest as they sing lullabies to their offspring." She glanced at Hermione, a little smile lingering on her lips. "I never heard them."

"I didn't think it were the centaurs you wanted to talk about," Hermione said, sounding subdued. She walked closer to the water's edge. The surface was still and the silver moonlight reflected from it, creating a picture that was perhaps too beautiful to put into words. She turned slightly to look at Andromeda. "When you asked me if I wanted to kiss you again, why did you want to know? Why does it matter to you?"

"In life we all make choices as well as mistakes," Andromeda said and tender, loving fingers caressed the inside of Hermione's hand. "I have made a fair share of my own. When I became pregnant with Nymphadora, Ted did what any respectable man would do. He asked for my hand in marriage. Of course my hand was not mine to give away. The honour of my marriage belonged to my Father but he would have murdered me had he known I was carrying a Muggleborn's child. So I married Ted for the shame of being disowned outweighed the prospect of certain death. At least when married I retained some of my family honour, though overtime they all chose to forget that." A tear glistened in the corner of Andromeda's eye as she remembered her husband. "We learnt to love each other over time."

"I'm sorry," Hermione breathed. She became increasingly aware of Andromeda's fingers drawing meaningless figures in the palm of her hand and moved closer to the older woman.

"Don't be," Andromeda whispered and her free hand brushed a damp curl out of Hermione's face. Her fingertips caressed the swollen bruise. "He gave me Nymphadora. She is the best thing that ever happened to me." She paused, her gaze lingering on the injuries that desecrated Hermione's skin. "Why must you hurt so much, Hermione?"

"Because someone has to," she replied.

"Not tonight," Andromeda answered and leant in. Her lips were so close to Hermione's she could almost taste them. "I know we shouldn't do this but…"

"The time for reason is long gone," Hermione finished Andromeda's sentence and closed the distance between them.


	16. The Last Lullaby

**A/N: **Strangely, the erotic undertones of Spartacus continue to be an inspiration to this story. I had never imagined anything could ever inspire me but the way some of the scenes were depicted has proven to be very inspirational indeed. I am aware there are many questions to be answered and, over time, I will. I like building things before destroying them. I like taking them apart. Though I do not intend to follow the complete direction of Deathly Hallows, I understand that bringing the Horcruxes into this story adds another level to it all. I intend to keep them, up to a point, to develop this story even further. Since it has become clear that at least one, maybe more, Horcruxes has since been moved, this changes the whole tone of the outcome. Anyway, enjoy chapter 16. ~Cissy

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**Chapter 16**

"**The Last Lullaby"**

When they arrived back in the common room Hermione met Harry's gaze. She could see the twinkle in his eyes and smiled sheepishly as she let go of Andromeda's hand. She wasn't sure whether she wanted anyone to know what had happened between them. The less people knew about them, the better. She sat down next to Ginny by the fire and watched as Dean and Seamus were playing a game of Exploding Snap. It appeared that Dean was winning, much to Seamus' frustration. Her eyes wandered around and came to a brief rest on Lavender and Parvati sitting by the window surrounded by pieces of parchment, quills and their History of Magic books.

She excused herself and retreated to the girls' dormitory. As she closed the door behind her and looked at her bed she noticed the small owl sitting on her pillow. A frown spread across her face as she recognised it as the same bird that had delivered Narcissa's reply the previous night. She silently locked the door behind her and walked over to the bed. The owl stretched out its paw and Hermione unhooked the small piece of parchment attached to it. Unrolling it she realised she had seen this handwriting before though it did not belong to Narcissa. It belonged to Bellatrix.

_The plans have changed. Wait for further instructions. We shall see each other again soon, my love._

Hermione aimed her wand at the letter and whispered "Incendio." The parchment caught fire and she watched as it fell down to the floor, turning into a smile pile of ash as the flames destroyed it. Once the flame had died, she flicked her wand again. "Scourgify." The ash disappeared from the floor and the dormitory looked clean again. She picked up the owl, opened the small window and let it free into the night. She could hear its wings flap long after it had disappeared.

She leant against the window sill and stared out over the Hogwarts grounds. It appeared that the Dark Lord no longer wanted to see her. She felt vaguely disappointed but did not dwell on the emotion for too long. Soon there would be more important matters on hand. Bellatrix's message suggested something was about to happen. Something that changed their earlier arrangements. Hermione's eyes darted over the darkened castle grounds as if to find something out of place. _We shall see each other again soon, my love. _Was Bellatrix coming back to the castle? Were the Death Eaters coming?

There was a knock on the door and Hermione quickly closed the window, flicked her wand to unlock the door and watched with great interest as Andromeda stepped into the room. Closing the door quietly behind her, the brunette's eyes searched for Hermione's and she smiled when she discovered the younger witch standing by the window. "I came to say goodnight."

Andromeda crossed the dormitory and when she reached Hermione her hand slipped down to the witch's cheek and cupped it. Gently she leant in and she kissed Hermione. The kiss was long and deep. Hermione felt her body respond and her arms snaked around Andromeda's neck, pulling the older woman closer to her. Her heart hammered in her chest as their bodies came together. In the dim candle light of the dormitory Andromeda looked so much like Bellatrix she almost forgot that it wasn't the Death Eater's lips she could taste.

_Breathe, _she reminded herself when Andromeda's lips moved away from her own and began a slow trail down the exposed flesh of her neck. Her body sizzled under the tip of the other woman's tongue and eager hands tangled in thick strands of brown hair. Deep down roared the monster of lust and longing, crying out for the shadow of a woman who could never be here with her between these walls. _Just breathe, for Merlin's sake._

Hermione raised her head slowly, severing the contact Andromeda's lips made with her skin and her hazel eyes darkened as she met Andromeda's dark brown orbs. She wet her lips as she became aware of Andromeda's hands resting on her hips, fingering the hem of her jumper. Soon fingertips would make contact with the burning flesh that lay underneath. She had to know. "Are you sure about this, Andy?"

"With a war upon us, no one will ever be sure of anything," Andromeda breathed. "But if I were to die tomorrow…" Her breath hitched. "I don't think I'd want to go and never know."

"Is there somewhere else we can go?" Hermione asked softly as she let her lips brush against Andromeda's. Flesh against flesh. "Somewhere where we can be alone? Your sleeping quarters perhaps?"

"East wing of the fifth floor, just past the statue of Gregory the Smarmy. Minerva has placed a painting outside my room," Andromeda answered. "It is password protected. Just tell him "Loyalty" and he will allow you to enter." She took a step back but held on to Hermione's hand. "Meet me there in half an hour. Perhaps it is best if we are not seen leaving together again."

Hermione nodded and watched as Andromeda left the dormitory. Her heart slowly settled in her chest and she turned back to the window. The moon went hidden behind thick grey clouds and she sighed to herself as she caught sight of her own reflection in the glass. Her hand cherished the bruise across her face and she smiled at the memory of how it had come to be there. Betrayal would soon be upon them all.

After having shoved her wand under the mattress of her bed Hermione descended down the stairs into the common room after fifteen minutes and climbed through the portrait hole without speaking to anyone. There were only a few students about at this hour, most of them on their way back from the library. It would soon be curfew and any student out of bed would see house points withdrawn. Hermione cared little for house points anymore. She doubted anyone else did either. She followed the directions Andromeda had given her and found her way through the candle lit castle corridors to the fifth floor. She passed the statue and came to a halt outside a door she assumed led to Andromeda's quarters. A painting of an ancient looking wizard had been strategically placed outside the door. He leant lazily against his frame and opened one eye when he became aware of Hermione's presence.

"Password?" he croaked.

"Loyalty," Hermione replied and smiled at the irony.

The wizard sent her a faint smile and the door swung open by itself, revealing a narrow corridor that led to a second door. When she reached it she knocked and Andromeda opened mere seconds later. For a few seconds they stared at each other, fully aware of what would happen next, before Andromeda took Hermione's hand and guided into the room.

Andromeda's quarters were lit up by candles and the fire in the fireplace. A black leather sofa stood by the fireplace, and a matching arm chair by the window. A bookcase lined one of the walls and the most beautiful paintings of nature scenes decorated the remaining ones not taken up by books. Thick, dark red drapes covered the window. A door across the room provided access to the bedroom.

"I'm glad you decided to come," Andromeda said as she tenderly brushed a strand of hair out of Hermione's face. "For a while I wasn't sure if you were."

"For a while neither was I," Hermione lied and moved closer. Longing flickered in her eyes. "But like you said, I don't think I could cope with the never knowing."

"Come." Andromeda's voice was husky as she took Hermione's hand and led her through the living room towards the bedroom. She softly closed the door behind them and turned around. The room was filled with candles and their flames created strange yet beautiful shadows across the dark walls. The four poster bed was covered with sheets as white as now and Hermione's breath chocked in the back of her throat when she felt Andromeda's hands on her hips, pulling her closer. Her eyes fluttered shut and she gave in to the situation. It was what she had to do. Love, hatred, betrayal. The final piece of a circle she would have to complete. When her lips found Andromeda's she forgot, for a little while, about the shadows that lived inside her soul.

"You are so beautiful," Andromeda whispered as she reached for the hem of Hermione's jumper. Willingly the young brunette raised her hands over her head so Andromeda could remove it. Her eyes remained close as she felt the fabric slide from her skin. Andromeda's gasp was audible as she discovered the true extent of Hermione's injuries and shaking fingers trailed across violent red gashes across her arms and sides. She traced her sister's hands. The touch left a raging fire in its wake.

"Look beyond my wounds, please," Hermione pleaded as she opened her eyes and saw the lonely tear that chased down Andromeda's cheek. "Please, Andy."

Andromeda brushed he tear away and nodded. "Of course."

Hermione moved closer and her lips captured Andromeda's. The blind passion she had experienced earlier returned and ignited inside of her, like a fire that began to spread. Impatient yet trained hands peeled back Andromeda's robes and she sighed into the kiss as she fabric slipped down the older woman's shoulders and exposed the beautiful, delicate skin underneath. Hermione's lips followed the trail of the robes as it began to reveal more and more and her lips nipped softly at a swollen nipple. Feeling the older woman's hands in her hair drew a moan from the depths of her throat. Her hands fell from Andromeda's shoulders to her hips and she pushed her towards the bed. Andromeda knees buckled and she landed on her back. Before she could respond Hermione had crawled on top of her and straddled her. Dark eyes stared down at the naked woman pinned down between her thighs and in the flickering candle light the faces of good and evil, of Bellatrix and Andromeda, merged together in a twisted ritual of passion and possession.

Andromeda's hands unhooked Hermione's bra and freed her breasts. Soft fingertips caressed her nipples and Hermione felt them harden under the other woman's touch. She let Andromeda unzip her jeans and lifted herself up long enough for them to slide down her legs. Now they were both naked, their bodies burning with desire, and Hermione raised herself up before throwing her head back. Thick curls rained down her back as she felt Andromeda's hands cup her breasts. The image was a near perfect copy of the scenes earlier that day, when it had been Bellatrix's skin against her own.

Hermione leant in for a searing kiss and her teeth sank softly though forcefully into Andromeda's lower lip. She did not draw blood, knowing she could not bear the taste, and continued her way further down. Her tongue flickered teasingly over swollen nipples as she descended across Andromeda's abdomen towards her thighs. The darker haired woman arched her back as Hermione dipped between her legs and her tongue encountered a sweet, damp wetness ready for her touch. Andromeda's hands tangled in Hermione's thick hair, guiding her to the spot where she desired her most. The candle lit illuminated their bodies as they moved and the passionate moans echoed off the walls. A soft outcry of mirth fell from Andromeda's lips as two slim digits entered her and added to the pleasure.

She fell over the edge and gave into her orgasm as her eyes rolled back into her hand. Desperate fingers dug deeply into the mattress as her back arched and a raw outcry escaped her lips. Beads of sweat glistened on Andromeda's forehead and in the valley between her breasts as thick, coarse curls fell into her eyes, obscuring her vision from the young woman who rose herself up from between her legs and moved to lie beside her. Hermione's fingers drew soft circles on Andromeda's stomach as she watched the older woman awaken from her haze.

"If death were to claim me, at least I have this memory to cherish until that moment comes," Andromeda whispered. Both hope and tears had appeared in her eyes. Their colour had lightened and Hermione watched how Andromeda's face changed back into its own, void of her sister's features and abandoned of the manic lust she had witnessed. A smile cherished her face as she reached up to remove a strand of hair from Andromeda's eyes. "As long as I draw breath, you shall never be alone."

"I shall remember it," Hermione whispered in reply and leant in. "I shall remember it far beyond tonight."

She guided Andromeda's hand down across her stomach, towards the triangle between her thighs. Their gazes locked as Andromeda's fingertips encountered Hermione's arousal. Exploring lips closed around a swollen nipple as her fingers began to explore further. Feeling the other woman partially on top of her and Andromeda's knee as well as her hand pressing against her core Hermione's nails dug deeply into the other woman's back. Andromeda whimpered in a mixture of pain and excitement at the sensation of blood flowing down her skin. Burgundy drops soon stained the pure white sheets. She arched her beg as she pressed her core deeper into her lover's touch. Their bodies rocked with increasing desire, their heartbeats pounding in their ears, their breath hot against sweaty skin. Moans of pain and lust mingled in the air that surrounded them. Candle light flickered as the shadows of their passion were painted onto the walls.

"Release me," Hermione breathed as she lifted her body up. Her legs were wrapped around Andromeda's waist as the other woman continued the ministrations between her legs. She felt her inside of her, and she rested her forehead against Andromeda's as her eyes fluttered shut. In that everlasting moment before the orgasm hit her, she no longer saw her lover's eyes. She saw the face of the one who had touched her first; those charcoal eyes that followed her even into the darkest shadows. With Bellatrix's name dying on the tip of her tongue she held on to Andromeda for dear life as the first waves of her orgasm began to wash over her.

"Oh God," Andromeda's lips whispered against Hermione's ear as her left arm supported the younger witch's body as it rested against her own. She could feel Hermione's heart beating against her breasts and she softly kissed the brunette's shoulder. As Hermione's body relaxed in her arms she gently lay her down upon the sheets and watched as the light returned in her eyes. Hermione turned to look at the woman lying beside her and a smile spread across her face. "Don't ever let me forget this night."

"Not until death decides to come onto our paths," Hermione whispered. She smiled lazily. "You do know I can't stay here, don't you?"

"I know," Andromeda answered. "I dread to think the look on Minerva's face if she were to find you in my bed by morning."

Hermione slowly sat up, allowing Andromeda's gaze to travel across the naked beauty that was her body. The older woman had seen past the marks that desecrated her skin. She slid of the bed and began to look around for her clothes. From the bed and wrapped up in the sheets, Andromeda watched as Hermione slowly slipped back into her jeans, after having put her underwear back on, before picking up her jumper and pulling it over her head. She ran her fingers through her hair and leant back over the bed to kiss Andromeda goodnight.

"Our little secret?" Andromeda asked and Hermione nodded.

"Our little secret." She smiled. "I'll see you in the morning."

She turned and left through the open bedroom door and crossed Andromeda's living quarters before stepping into the narrow corridor that would lead her back to the main entrance. She glanced at the portrait. The old wizard was asleep in his frame. Hermione leant against the cold stone walls and rested her head in her hands. She had done what had been asked of her. She had completed the trinity. The thought had barely left her mind when she lifted her head up from her arms. Across from where she stood was a window and she walked towards it. In the distance, more dark clouds were rapidly approaching. There would be a storm tonight.

Hermione was about to turn away from the glass when she realises that what she had perceived to be clouds were in fact no clouds at all. She spun back around and recognised the separate shapes of Death Eaters as they moved closer towards the castle, circling around in the dark night. Suddenly the words of Bellatrix's message rang in her head. _We shall see each other again soon, my love._She had been right. They were coming.

Without hesitation she began running across the corridor back to the Grand Staircase. She knew Bellatrix and Narcissa would want her at their side. She ran up the steps and once she reached the seventh floor quickly made her way back to the Gryffindor common room. It was quieter than before she left and she ignored Harry's questioning look as she strolled past him and climbed the stairs to the girls' dormitory. She found Lavender and Parvati preparing for bed. She greeted them, faking a smile, before approaching the window. There, in the darkness, the shadows continued to circle the castle. They were here.

Hermione glanced over her shoulder at her two roommates and decided she couldn't wait. She walked up to her bed, drew her wand from under her mattress and stored it up her sleeve. When she looked back up she found neither girl had noticed her actions. They were too busy studying a magazine from the latest edition of Witch Weekly that had arrived earlier that night. Her heart pounded in her chest with excitement and adrenaline had begun to seep into her blood. She took a few deep breaths before leaving the dormitory and joining Harry and the others in the common room. They had not observed the shadows behind the glass, circling the castle in the dark. They were here.

War was upon them.


	17. War is Coming

**A/N: **I will probably manage one more update, maybe two, before going on holiday on Thursday. I'll be gone for a week so no updates in the meanwhile. Hope to at least be able to write while I'm away but I am not expecting much. Thanks for all your awesome reviews so far. You rule. ~Cissy

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**Chapter 17**

"**War is Coming"**

The impact of the array of spells sent the castle shaking and Hermione found herself desperately reaching for one of the walls in support. The ground underneath her feet trembled and behind her Lavender and Parvati screamed in terror. She heard the commotion in the common room as people leapt to their feet.. Her heart hammered in her chest, aware of the constant impact of spells. Hogwarts' protection wouldn't be able to fight the Death Eaters off for long. They were already in the grounds. Soon they would be here.

"Hermione?"

She spun around when she recognised Molly Weasley's voice rising over the sound of crumbling stone and saw the red haired witch appear in the dormitory doorway. Molly stepped into the room, wand drawn, and looked at the three girls. "We need to get into the common room."

"What's happening?" Lavender asked as she brandished her wand like a knife.

Hermione wanted to draw her own wand but knew she couldn't. Molly knew she wasn't supposed to have her wand. She felt defenceless, useless and irritated and her eyes darted from Lavender to Molly before glancing at Parvati. She too had drawn her wand. A hint of fear flickered in her eyes.

_Bellatrix must have told them about the gates, _Hermione thought but she did not dare speak an answer out loud. Her heart pounded in excitement over the dark witch's presence and she was blind to the fear she saw in other people's eyes.

"Into the common room! NOW!" Molly urged as her hand closed around Hermione's arm in protection. "Minerva will be here by now." She glanced at Hermione, painfully reminded of what had happened the last time the Death Eaters had set upon them. With every attack death was sure to follow. "How are we going to get everyone out of the castle? The Death Eaters have the place surrounded."

"Minerva will have an answer." Hermione sounded certain of herself and Molly nodded

They descended down the staircase into the common room and found it buzzing and alive with dozens of voices. A loud explosion made them all turn around and wands were drawn in defence. The Gryffindor Tower shook once again. In the distance the sound of breaking glass echoed through the corridors. Hermione's eyes were fixed on the portrait hole and she found Minerva McGonagall and Andromeda climb into the room. The latter smirked as Minerva shook her head and whispered something like "There are better ways to gain access to the common room, Andromeda."

"What did you do?" Hermione whispered as Andromeda reached her side.

"Blew the portrait of the Fat Lady off the wall." Andromeda shrugged. "She'd left her frame. I didn't think she'd need it for the rest of the night."

The presence of Minerva seemed to calm some of the fear that had grasped hold of the students. As she moved into the middle of the room, dozens of eyes fixed on her. She looked around, taking in the faces of each and every one of her Gryffindor students.

"We are under attack," she slowly said. "School rules forbid any under aged witch or wizard to stay behind and take part in this fight." There was a vague hint of disapproval in her voice and her emerald green eyes sought out Ginny. "I can neither force you to leave or force you to stay. The choice must be yours but believe me when I say that neither choice shall be held against you. Prefects, you will take the first, second, third and fourth years with you to the Room of Requirement, also known as the Come and Go Room. I have instructed the other Head of Houses to also take their students here. The Room provides a safe passage into Hogsmeade. Madame Rosmerta is awaiting your arrival in the Three Broomsticks."

Hermione's eyes found Harry's. The Room of Requirement had served as a great secret hideout back in the day when they had been members of Dumbledore's Army. There was little left of that memory now. As she studied Harry's face she recognised the same determination in his eyes that she had seen before. She knew that he would fight until the death tonight. The corners of her mouth twitched but did not curl up into a smile.

A silence fell as the younger students followed the two Prefects out of the common room. Hermione watched as the terrified faces of the youngsters disappeared. None of the fifth or sixth years followed and she could see how even some of the fourth years whispered they wanted to stay behind and fight. Minerva praised their loyalty but reminded they were too young. The future needed their bravery too. Hermione shook her head to herself. The future didn't need Gryffindor at all.

Once the students had left, Minerva turned to the remaining group. "We need to form small groups and…" Her voice trailed off when footsteps approached. She spun around, wand at the ready, but released her breath when she recognised Nymphadora Tonks. She sported a bloody cut across her face and was panting. Hermione could feel Andromeda's body stiffen.

"They're inside the castle. I just saw Bellatrix Lestrange in the Great Hall," Tonks breathed. "It's like they're looking for something. Bellatrix shouted something about not leaving a stone unturned but she's out to get blood." Tonks pointed at her face. "She wasn't too fond of the family reunion. The Ministry's sending reinforcements and more Aurors are arriving as we speak. What do you want us to do, Minerva?"

"Take positions in the highest Towers. Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and the Astronomy Tower. Leave the dungeons. If Bellatrix was in the Great Hall, they will have taken them by now. Form small groups and patrol the corridors. Each group consist of at least one Auror or a teacher. Pomona, Fillius and Horace have received their instructions to evacuate their students before joining the fight. Other teachers will be waiting for you on their designated floors," Minerva said and she swallowed hard. "Albus must have known this day would eventually come. He prepared us a long time ago."

"So we fight," Harry said and the Headmistress' eyes found those of the Boy Who Lived.

"Yes, Harry. We fight."

The group dispersed and Hermione watched how everyone made their way through the portrait hole and disappeared. She and Andromeda were the last to go and as the brunette went ahead, Hermione hesitated. A thought began to grow in the back of her mind and she grasped Andromeda's hand.

"Wait!" she whispered. "There is something I need to do first."

Before Andromeda could ask what it was that she needed to do, Hermione had spun around on her heels and had ran back up the spiral staircase that led to the girls' dormitory. She stepped into the dormitory across the hall from her own. Ginny shared it with two other girls and Hermione approached Ginny's bed. She opened the drawers of her bedside cabinet but couldn't find what she was looking for. Realising that her own best hiding place was not the cabinet, she pulled up the mattress and found the small black bag she had seen Ginny hold days earlier. She picked it up, checked it, and then reduced it to a tiny size and slipped it into the pocket of her jeans. She left the dormitory and joined Andromeda in the common room.

"Do you think we should stay here? Minerva said someone needed to guard Gryffindor Tower and none of the teachers have come yet," Andromeda said. Hermione shook her head.

"They Death Eaters are coming anyway, Andy. Why would I wait for them to find me when I can stop down a few floors lower down?" she answered and Andromeda had to admit Hermione was right. Her head snapped up when someone emerged from the shadows and she released her breath when she recognised Madame Hooch. The short haired witch's eyes narrowed.

"I take it the Tower is ours then?" she asked and Andromeda nodded.

Hermione looked at Andromeda. "I can't stay here, Andy. I can't stay here and not know what is happening to my friends." Desperate hazel eyes met Andromeda's dark brown. She knew, deep down, that Andromeda had to be afraid for her daughter. She had to understand. "Please don't try to stop me."

Andromeda briefly leant in and her lips brushed across Hermione's before she gently cupped the younger witch's cheek. She didn't want her to disappear into the danger, submerse herself in the battle, but she understood Hermione's desire. "Take the wand of the first witch or wizard you see, no matter what side they're on. If they've fallen, they've fallen. Don't do anything before you have one." She hesitated. "Just be careful, Hermione and promise me you'll come back."

_I can't promise you such thing. _Hermione looked up. "I will."

She took a deep breath and then walked out of the common room, climbed through the portrait hole and stepped into the corridor. In the distance she could hear the sounds of battle. Glass was breaking and the walls moaned under the heavy impact of spells. She could taste the dust on her tongue and feel it burn in her eyes. A fine black smoke had begun to fill her nostrils and she could smell the fire. Hogwarts was crumbling slowly and soon it would burn to the ground,

Hermione reached into her sleeve and drew her wand. Immediately it spun around in the palm of her hand and she knew it had sensed the presence of its twins. She didn't know where Bellatrix and Narcissa were but her wand would guide her. She slowly made her way down the corridor towards the Grand Staircase and looked down over the banister. She saw Lavender and Parvati duelling with what looked like one of the Lestrange brothers. Hermione waited for just a split second but long enough for the Death Eater to see her.

"Stupefy!" The red jet shot from her wand with ease and a second later it had hit Parvati in the back. Her limp body tumbled forward and rolled down the stairs, coming to a rest on the next floor. Lavender screamed in fear and instantly lost her concentration. Rabastan Lestrange's curse hit her square in the chest and she was thrown backwards against one of the wall. Several empty frames landed on top of her. Rabastan glanced up at Hermione and their gazes locked for an instant before he spun around, ran past Parvati's lifeless body and disappeared.

Hermione slowly began making her way down the stairs, making sure to check the banisters before coming down further. She aimed a quiet "Impedimenta" at Dean Thomas who had just managed to disarm Draco Malfoy and the blonde wizard looked up to see where his help had come from. Spotting Hermione on the floor above him he smiled, took his own wand as well as Dean's and disappeared. Hermione continued to make her way down but when she reached the fourth floor she came to a sudden stop.

Tonks was engaged in a fierce battle with Dolohov. Blood gushed from a second cut across her face but it was Dolohov who appeared to be in a worse state. One of his eyes was completely shut and Hermione couldn't recognise the spell that had caused the injury. She watched for a few seconds. Tonks was skilled and all her counter spells brought Dolohov off guard. He glanced up and even with one eye he saw Hermione. His wand took aim and she didn't respond quick enough, half and half reminded she wasn't supposed to have a wand, and she felt the skin on her face tear open. Blood began to seep down her cheek and neck and into her clothes. Tonks cried out in anger and her wand produced an array of spells Hermione had never seen before. Three separate jets of different colours crashed into Dolohov's chest and his body was picked up and thrown over the banister. Hermione never heard it land on the ground floor. She turned to look back at Tonks, who had spun around and was running towards Hermione.

"Are you allright?" she whispered as she brushed a strand of bloodied hair out of the young witch's face. Her gaze then dropped to Hermione's hand and she frowned in confusion. "How did you get your wand?" Light brown eyes narrowed as they snapped back up to Hermione's face. "Mother said Bellatrix took your wand. How did you get it?"

"Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to," Hermione whispered and barely moved her hand. "Impedimenta!"

Tonks' body, defenceless against the close proximity of the magic, was thrown backwards and landed at the bottom of the fourth floor staircase. Hermione rose to her full figure, brushed some of the blood from her face and stared at the smudges it had created on her sleeve. Battle scars. Soon she would have even more.

"Granger!"

She turned around at the sound of an unfamiliar man's voice calling her name. At the top of the fifth floor an Auror had appeared and he stared at her, contempt burning in his eyes. "I saw what you did to her! Changed sides have you?" He sent a quick Body Bind Curse her way but she deflected it with ease. It crashed into an empty frame on the wall and it shattered. "Come on Granger, how long have you been siding with Lestrange?"

"Long enough," Hermione chuckled deviously and flicked her own wand. The bright green Killing Curse missed its target and sent part of the staircase shattering. Dust and pieces of rubble filled her lungs and Hermione briefly shielded her eyes. She looked up just in time to see the Auror appear from the smoke and she ducked as his spell was sent her way. She took aim and her hazel eyes met those of the unknown Auror. "Expelliarmus!" The wand flew from his hand and landed in her own. She saw his anger over her betrayal and merely smiled. He was defenceless now. "Avada Kedavra!"

His body dropped dead right there on the spot and Hermione climbed the few steps that separated them. She inspected the wand. It felt like walnut but she couldn't sense the core. It was shorter than her own but it felt reasonably pliant. She rolled it through her hand before looking down at the Aurors bloodied face. "You won't be needing this anymore."

She stored her own wand up her sleeve and continued her way down the staircase whilst brandishing the Aurors wand. She could feel its allegiance change. She had won it from him in battle, which meant the wand now answered to her. She didn't see anyone else until she reached the entrance hall. Part of the ceiling had collapsed and rain poured into the castle. Under the pieces of stone she recognised part of a Hufflepuff robe. She didn't even try to help. They were already dead. The wooden front doors of the castle were wide open and the wind ruffled her hair as it blew in. Rubble, dust and blood covered the floors and Hermione turned towards the Great Hall. Its ceiling had been destroyed and the two heavy doors hung of their hinges, blown to pieces. Cups, plates and cutlery scattered the floors. It appeared the house elves had already set up for breakfast the next morning before the Death Eaters attacked.

The battle inside the Great Hall was on going. Bright flashes of lights shot from side to side. People shouted, cried and screamed. A lone figure fell, having taken a Killing Curse to the back. In a split second of deafening silence the sound of their wand falling to the ground echoed through the darkness. She didn't recognise the shapes and forms of the people fighting. The dust and the smoke were too thick. She coughed as it found its way into her lungs. In the corner, underneath the staircase, a fire burnt and its flames were eating away at the castle walls. Outside trees and bushes were on fire and the orange gloom of the flames created the scene as if taken from a war scenario.

Two figures broke free from the fight and approached the open doors. Hermione's eyes narrowed as she tried to recognise who was fighting who. The witch had long hair that had fallen free from the bun in the back of her neck and she was dressed in dark robes. Her wand moved with great skill and talent as she fought her opponent. A cry escaped from the woman's throat when a spell unexpectedly hit her arm. Hermione recognised the voice. It was Minerva.

Her opponent was Yaxley and he roared with laughter as the blood began to form a pool at Minerva's feet. She attempted to raise her wand to fight him off but he slashed at her, creating another gaping wound across her leg. The older witch stumbled and fell, desperately clutching her injured leg, but still clung on to her wand and muttered a spell that Yaxley easily deflected. Lying on the floor, with blood forming around her body, pleading emerald green eyes looked up to her tormentor. The great Minerva McGonagall had fallen. Yaxley's wand took aim and he was ready to deliver the final blow.

She moved before she thought about her actions and threw herself over the witch's body in protection. Safe arms wrapped themselves around Minerva's injured frame and blazing hazel eyes snapped up to the blonde Death Eater. "NO!"

"What the devil…" he began before he registered Hermione's face. His wand lowered almost instantly and Hermione aimed the one she had taken of the Auror at the Death Eater's chest. "Granger?"

"Leave her!" Hermione barked and the anger in her voice was sharp. "She is of no value to you!"

"Hermione…" Minerva's voice was weak and blood seeped from her mouth. Her green eyes rolled back into her head and every breath she drew was followed by a pause. "Don't…"

"No Minerva," Hermione whispered. "I can't let him kill you." She looked down long enough to watch the older witch's eyes close. Under her fingertips she felt a faint heartbeat. Blazing eyes snapped back up to Yaxley. He still stared at her in bewilderment but when she drew her own wand from her sleeve, he seemed to understand what it was she was doing. "She's mine! Find Bellatrix and tell her that Minerva has been taken care of. She will no longer be a threat against us taking over the castle."

Yaxley seemed to consider her words for a few seconds before simply nodding. He sprinted away from the scene and the last Hermione saw of him was his blonde ponytail disappearing up the Grand Staircase. Hermione's hands desperately tried to stop the bleeding on Minerva's arm and leg but after a few seconds her hands were covered in blood. She stood up, aimed her wand at the older witch and muttered "Locomotor."

Minerva McGonagall's body rose up from the floor until she was about as high up as Hermione's shoulders and she used her wand to float her unconscious body away from the scenes in the Great Hall. In the distance the sounds of battle continued to haunt her. The smoke was getting thicker and as she glanced over her shoulder she noticed a massive ball of fire shoot across the Great Hall, burning everything in its wake. She looked back at Minerva. Her face was gaunt and pale and blood continued to seep down her arm and leg, leaving a bloody trail in their wake. She didn't know where she could take her to be safe but she knew she couldn't leave her where they were. She managed to guide Minerva's body up the stairs and found that the Muggle Studies classroom was empty and quite well intact.

She softly let Minerva's body come down to the ground and propped her up against one of the desks. With a frown she brushed a strand of hair from the witch's face and gazed down at her hands covered in the other woman's blood. The sound of an explosion made her look up and she hurried to the door. Without looking back she fled the classroom, locked the door with ever spell she could imagine and hoped for the best.

Hermione ran back across the corridor and toward the staircase. When she reached it she nearly lost her balance as she looked down over the banister and realised the scenes downstairs had changed significantly. Her wand spun around in her hand and pointed at two individuals jumping around in the entrance hall. Raven manes flew around Bellatrix's head as she spun around on the tip of her toes, gracious like a ballerina, and took aim at the woman she was fighting. Andromeda resembled her sister so much in the dimly lit entrance hall, covered in dust and blood. Their spells collided, causing an explosion that sent this part of the castle shaking. Hermione's eyes darted to two of the other fighting figures. Molly's red hair was a sharp contrast against Narcissa's blonde. Both women were coated in dust and blood. Part of Narcissa's hair has been scorched away, leaving it black and withered. Molly sported a deep gash from her left eyebrow down to her chin.

"No!" Hermione cried out when Bellatrix's spell just missed Andromeda. The Killing Curse blasted one of the doors to the Great Hall into splinters. Everyone looked up at the sound of her voice and Bellatrix cackled. Her wand spun in her hand, lining itself up with Hermione's. She felt the magical tingling feeling in the tips of her fingers, working its way into her bloodstream. Narcissa's wand was next to spin and once lined up with Hermione's it was Bellatrix who merely whispered the spell.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

She had no control over her wand. The spell blasted out if its tip and met the two spells shot from the level below her. There they bound together into a green ball, glowing dangerously in the middle of the room. The people surrounding it began to stagger backwards, aware of the danger that was to follow. The three spells wound themselves around each other, like snakes strangling their pray, before they began to drift apart. They extended, like arms, and then suddenly exploded. The sheer force of the spell knocked Hermione backwards and she grabbed hold of the bannister to support herself. When she looked back up she found that everyone was still standing. The spell had missed.

Bellatrix danced around from one foot onto the other and laughed manically as she continued to fire curses at her sister. Andromeda, nearly as skilled as the raven haired Death Eater, easily deflected them. Narcissa had once again turned on Molly and continued to batter the redhead with violent spells but Molly held her own. Hermione began her final descend into the hallway. When she reached the final step, Andromeda cast a spells so powerful that it briefly knocked Bellatrix off balance. She spun around and stared at Hermione.

"How did you get your wand?" she cried over the sound of spells exploding around her. Her eyes caught Hermione's. "Hermione, who gave you your wand?"

"I did," Bellatrix lisped and she staggered back to her feet. Blood dripped from her nose. "I left it on her bed earlier tonight." Her charcoal eyes found Hermione's. The lie was to continue. "After all, we all know that the reactions of that wand once connected with its twins are uncontrollable. I didn't even have to try to hex her. She did it all by herself."

"I'm sorry," Hermione answered and a tear chased down her cheek. "I know I shouldn't have taken it.."

"We can talk about this later," Andromeda said and her eyes darted back to Bellatrix. She swallowed hard. "We have lost this battle. The castle is beyond saving." Her wand shot up and a strong Shield Charm blocked Bellatrix's spell. "We have to leave." To her left Molly spun around, waving her wand like a sword and creating a burning rope that attempted to wind itself around Narcissa's ankles but she responded by producing a strong outburst of water. The flames sizzled before they died and black smoke circled up into the air. Andromeda's voice was clear and rose out above the sound of the castle moaning and rumbling. "RETREAT!"

"No, we can't…" Hermione breathed but her sentence was cut off as Andromeda sprinted towards her, wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her along into Apparition. The last thing she saw was Bellatrix laughing. The manic cackle echoed through her mind and when she reopened her eyes she was surprised to find herself standing outside what was left of the Burrow. Magic was all that held the building still together and her eyes darted to Andromeda.

"We aren't safe here!"

"We aren't safe anywhere," Andromeda replied as she watched how a few feet to her right Molly reappeared, quickly followed by Fred and George, Harry and Ginny and eventually Tonks. In the distance, between the corn, more faint pops could be heard and Bill and Fleur emerged followed by Luna. They all bore signs of battle and Luna limped towards the front door. Molly began ushering everyone inside and Andromeda looked at Hermione.

"We are going to have to use every form of protection you can think of," she whispered. Suddenly fear filled her eyes and she looked around. The absence of one person hit her. "Where's Minerva? I haven't seen her come back! We agreed we'd come back to the Burrow the minute we realised the castle was beyond saving. Where is she?"

"She's hurt," Hermione breathed. "Badly."

"God, no," Andromeda sighed. Her eyes welled up. "Bless her soul."

Hermione's face hardened. "I'm going back."

"What? NO! You can't go back!" Andromeda attempted to grab the younger witch's arm but Hermione pulled free. "Hermione, NO!"

"I have to, Andy. I can't just leave her there. I don't want to think about what Bellatrix will do to her if she finds her." She glanced down at her own wand before placing it in Andromeda's open palm. Desperate hazel eyes met Andromeda's chocolate brown. "Here, take this. I can't do any harm if I haven't got it with me."

"Hermione…"

"No argument, Andy. I'm going back!"

Without a chance to stop her from leaving Andromeda watched how Hermione turned on the spot and with a quiet pop she disappeared into the night, leaving behind the Burrow and a chance of safety, and returned to the smouldering ruins of Hogwarts.


	18. Rainbows at Twilight

**A/N: **I wrote this after only having had 3 hours of sleep (I work shifts and last night was my nightshift). I feel about as crazy and incoherent as Hermione right now. I am very much looking forward to my holiday - Orlando, here I come! - but I am always kind of sad when I can't keep on writing the way I'd like to. Anyway, I have the day off tomorrow as well so hopefully I can manage another update before leaving. Thanks again for all your reviews. I hope this chapter answers maybe one or two questions but there are plenty more. ~Cissy

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**Chapter 18**

"**Rainbows at Twilight"**

Andromeda stayed outside and continued to protect the Burrow with every form of magic she could remember. Bright coloured jets shot from the tip of her wand and wound themselves in large circles before covering the ruined building in what could only be described as a silver dome. Eventually the magic dissolved, blending in with the darkness of the night, and an invisible protection remained. When she turned she found that candles had been lit behind the windows. Some life within the walls had been restored. She was about to walk to the front door when her daughter burst out into the night, a hint of fear flickering in her eyes.

"Mother!" she pleaded and Andromeda caught Nymphadora in her arms as she tripped over her own feet. Dried blood still stained her face but it was the terror in her eyes that alarmed Andromeda. "I need to talk to you."

"About what?" Andromeda breathed as she brushed a strand of hair out of Tonks' face and helped her to her feet. "Darling, what's the matter? What happened?"

Tonks raised her hands up to the sky and a lone tear chased down her cheeks. Her words were interrupted by ragged breaths. "I tried talking to Molly but she wouldn't listen to me. She has us all fooled. She's poisoned all our minds!"

"What? What do you mean?" Andromeda asked and she stared at her daughter. She had lost the man she loved in this war. The night Remus died had been the first time Andromeda had seen grief written across her child's face. She prayed she would never have to see such sadness again but it appeared her prays had not been answered. "Nymphadora, what on Earth are you talking about? Who poisoned our minds?"

"Hermione!" Tonks cried out and she spun around. Blazing dark green eyes, Ted's eyes, pierced into her mother's brown. "She's got us all wrapped around her little finger but she's been lying to us for all this time, mother! She_ lied_ to us!"

"No," Andromeda breathed and reached out a hand to calm Tonks. "What are you saying? Why would you say such a thing?" She paused and took in the pain and anger that flickered in her daughter's eyes. "Nymphadora, Hermione was tortured by Bellatrix! Have you forgotten what she looked like when she came back here that night?"

"Do you really believe she found that wand on her bed?" Tonks retorted and watched as her mother's eyebrows shot up. "She attacked me! She knocked me out and sent me flying down the stairs and then she left me there! Had it not been for Professor Flitwick, the Death Eaters would have gotten their hands on me and if you ask me that's exactly what she wanted. Hermione's a liar, mother!"

"Nymphadora!" Andromeda said sternly and raised her hand to silence her. "Stop this nonsense at once! Hermione is not siding with the Death Eaters!" The words left her lips in a rush and in her chest her heart pounded. Her head was spinning and she glanced over her daughter's shoulder at the Burrow. Molly had appeared in the open doorway, draw to the loud voices arguing outside. "Your accusations will not hold true. How dare you say she betrayed us!"

"She wanted me dead, mother!"

"I refuse to believe that!"

"The only reason I'm still standing here is that she chose the wrong spell but she counted on the Death Eaters to find me. We both know what dear Bellatrix would do to me if she ever got her hands on me," Tonks said sharply and the venom in her voice laced through every word. "And I doubt it's the same she's been doing to Hermione. She gave her back that wand, mother, which means they have seen each other since that night they attacked the Burrow!"

"No!" Andromeda had raised her voice and silenced Tonks with just one word. Her eyes had darkened and she stared at her daughter as if she struggled to recognise her. "Hermione did _not_ betray us, Nymphadora!"

Tonks' eyes narrowed. "What's going on between you two?"

"Mind your tone, young lady. You may be an adult but you are still my daughter and I have ever right in the world to silence you!" Andromeda said icily and she gestured around, pointing out Hermione's absence. "In case you haven't noticed, Hermione has gone back to Hogwarts to save Minerva!"

"No mother," Tonks hissed. "She was never on our side." She stared at her mother. "You're in love with her, aren't you? I have seen the way you look at her! It's the same way I used to look at Remus when I hoped that he would just give me a chance. You know something's going on. Somewhere deep down you know it!"

"Nymphadora, that's enough!" Molly interrupted the argument and the two witches looked up. "I have told you already that I refuse to believe your accusations and your mother has been perfectly clear as well. I don't know what got into you but whatever it is, I suggest you put an end to it. We have lost too many people around us already and we can't afford to lose anymore!"

"You have already lost her," Tonks said. She pushed past Andromeda and began walking towards the corn fields. A soft flash of silver light told her she had broken through the defensive magic that surrounded them. She spun around, wand in hand and stared at the other two women. "Hermione hasn't gone back to Hogwarts to find Minerva. She's gone back to be with Bellatrix."

~()~

The castle had been destroyed. Thick clouds of black smoke rose up from the smouldering ruins up into the midnight sky. Fires still burnt where the courtyard had once been. Ravenclaw Tower had been blown to pieces. Rubble, wood and glass littered the castle grounds. Trees, flowers and bushes had been pulled up from the ground, their roots now exposed. She stepped through what was left of the entrance doors into the hall and her eyes darted around. The castle was strangely silent, apart from the sound of flames eating away at the surrounding walls. Smoke prickled her nose and she suppressed a cough.

Hermione crossed the entrance hall and climbed the Grand Staircase, skilfully avoiding the large holes that had been blasted into the ancient marble. Portrait frames had been ripped from the walls, torn to pieces and burnt. Pieces of parchment, quills, and a Hufflepuff scarf lay spread around the corridors. In the distance she could hear voices and she paused in her step. A smile spread across her face as she recognised the raven haired Death Eater's voice. Turning on her heel, Hermione changed the direction she had been heading in and walked away from the first floor classrooms, where she had left Minerva, and followed the sound of Bellatrix's voice. She found her in the third floor corridors.

"Bella!"

The female Death Eater turned around when she recognised Hermione's voice and charcoal eyes ignited with fire when she discovered the bloodied brunette standing at the end of the hallway, surrounded by dust and rubble, with her wand in her hand. A smile spread across Bellatrix's face as Hermione crossed the distance that separated them and strong arms wrapped around the younger witch's frame before pulling her closer to kiss her. Bellatrix's lips tasted of sweet poison and blood.

"You have done well, my love," Bellatrix mused as she let her fingers run down Hermione's jawline. The touch left her skin burning in its wake. "I am so very proud of you."

"I made a mistake," Hermione groaned and Bellatrix's nails unexpectedly sunk deep into her flesh. Tears jumped into her eyes. The pain was intoxicating. "I didn't kill Andromeda's child when I had the chance. I saw her at the Burrow just now and she knows."

"We'll deal with her later," Bellatrix whispered. "What about Potter?"

"Injured but alive," Hermione answered and as she looked past the raven haired woman she found Narcissa sitting on a small pile of rubble, rolling her wand through her fingers. She appeared bored but when she felt Hermione's eyes on her she looked up. Lust ignited in steel blue eyes and Hermione felt the magic build up inside of her. There was the kind of magic no wand could control. Magic that lived deep inside every witch or wizard. She felt it seep into her veins and crawl through her body. In her hand, her wand suddenly felt warm.

"Why did you come back?" Narcissa asked as she stood up from the broken suit of armour she had been sitting on. "The Order fled the castle. They lost. They will question you."

"Minerva McGonagall was injured in the battle. She is a vital asset to the Order and she has been one of the few who has supported me throughout. She believes me," Hermione answered and looked at Bellatrix. Judging from the darkened look in the older witch's eyes she guessed Yaxley had told her what had happened. She could almost taste the jealousy because she had chosen to protect Minerva with her own body. "If you want the Order to continue to believe in me, they need Minerva. I came to bring her back." She cocked her head. "Why did you come to the castle anyway? Did the Dark Lord send you?"

"He wanted us to fetch the remaining Horcrux that he had hidden between these walls," Bellatrix said and Hermione's eyes lit up. Harry had been so close to another Horcrux for all this time and he hadn't even known it. She smirked as she imagined his loss. Bellatrix took Hermione's hand as Narcissa moved closer behind her. It was a sign of aggressive, almost territorial, behaviour. "It now lies safe with the Dark Lord. He ordered us to remain here just in case the Order decided to come back."

"Yeah, them and what army?" Hermione snickered. "There is hardly anyone left and after what happened here tonight, I doubt anyone will be siding with them anytime soon."

Bellatrix chucked softly. "My thoughts exactly." Dark eyes searched Hermione's face. "Where's Minerva?"

"I left her in a classroom on the first floor," Hermione answered casually. "She had lost a lot of blood. Merlin only knows if she made it. She's useful to us but she isn't irreplaceable. We still have Andromeda."

"Ah yes," Bellatrix whispered as she ran her fingers slowly up Hermione's arm towards her shoulder. She circled the younger brunette, gently resting her chin on her shoulder. Warm lips kissed the side of her neck, tasting the ashes as well as the blood that clung to her skin. "Has she lost her heart yet?"

"She has lost it and she is about to witness it being broken," Hermione promised and her eyes fluttered shut as Bellatrix nibbled on her earlobe. She could feel Narcissa's eyes on her and when she open her own eyes she found the blonde staring at her, anger evident in her face. Narcissa's eyes followed the path of Bellatrix's lips, lips she knew so well herself, covered on Hermione's skin. She had tasted that same flesh, had felt it underneath her burning fingers. She remembered the taste, the touch. She remembered everything. Hungry eyes continued to gaze at the other two women before she moved closer and unexpectedly placed her hands on Hermione's hips. Bellatrix, still standing behind Hermione, dropped her hands too and her fingers entwined with those of her sister, trapping the brunette between their bodies.

"So much still to discover," Narcissa whispered as she leant in. Dark pink lips brushed along Hermione's before pressing down softly. The kiss was tender, almost erotic, and Hermione felt how her heart almost exploded in her chest when Bellatrix's tongue circled the pulsating vein in the side of her neck before biting down gently. A soft moan escaped her.

Narcissa slowly retreated and her blue eyes met her sister's charcoal orbs. Their bodies fitted together in a strange form of perfection and she looked down. Hermione's own hands now covered Bellatrix and Narcissa's hands. Soft touches whispering a tale of something so forbidden and so much darker than the light of day could ever behold.

"Find Minerva," Bellatrix whispered in Hermione's ear. Her breath was hot against her flesh and she felt the raging fire down her in core. "Return to the Order and wait for me." Dark eyes found her sister's blue. "For us." Her lips kissed the burning flesh of Hermione's neck as her eyes held her sister's gaze. "Soon, my love, the word will wake up to a new dawn."

Both witches stepped away from Hermione and she needed only a mere second to gather her thoughts. She looked from Narcissa to Bellatrix, seeing the longing in their eyes, before turning and leaving the corridor. As she left she heard their soft cackles echo off the crumbling walls. She descended down the stairs and reached the first floor. She found the Muggle Studies classroom and was surprised to find the door still intact. Her enchantments had worked. She flicked her wand, lifted the spells and rushed into the classroom. The first thing she smelt was the pungent stench of blood.

Minerva's body rested against one of the desks. A large pool of blood had formed around her. Her fingers were pale and when Hermione reached to touch her hand she found her skin was cold. Hesitant eyes trailed up and fixed on the elder witch's chest. It rose and fell, barely noticeable, but nevertheless it moved. Hermione let her breath escape and quickly went about trying to lift Minerva up. Her body was limp and lifeless and she resulted to her wand. The Headmistress' body rose up into the air and Hermione guided it out of the classroom, down the stairs and through the entrance hall before she eventually stepped into the cool midnight air.

She lowered Minerva's body into her arms, the only way she could Apparate whilst holding on to her, and closed her eyes. Calling up the image of the Burrow pained her but when she opened her eyes she recognised the shabby building immediately. Someone was standing outside the front door, like a guard, and they moved when the soft 'pop' betrayed the arrival of another person.

"MUM!"

Ginny's voice was loud and clear and behind her the front door opened and three more figures came running across the muddy soil. Hermione had gently laid Minerva's body down and sat on her knees beside her, her hands still covered in blood, and brushed a strand of hair out of the other woman's face. She could see Minerva's eyes move behind their lids and she heaved a sigh when she felt Andromeda's hand on her shoulder. Molly fell to her knees beside Minerva's body and began giving instructions to Ginny about how to bring her inside. Andromeda gently helped Hermione onto her feet and wrapped her up in a protective embrace. When she looked up she found her daughter staring at her, eyes blazing.

"Mother," Tonks said coolly. "Remember what we talked about earlier?"

"I don't want to hear it, Nymphadora," Andromeda dismissed her and let her fingers run through Hermione's hair. "She's brought her back. What more do you need?"

"She probably attacked her first!" Tonks exclaimed and Hermione's head whipped around. "She can't be trusted!"

"Wait," Hermione whispered when she could feel Andromeda tense up. "Let me talk to her, Andy. I think she needs to understand what happened and only I can do that." She manoeuvred herself out of the darker haired witch's arms and turned to the young Auror. Tonks' hair had changed into a vibrant shade of red, a clear sign of anger, and her normally green eyes flickered between a shade of intense purple and black. "I'm sorry, Tonks."

"Sorry for what? Hexing me or not killing me when you had the chance?" the Auror spat. "Just give it up, Hermione. I know what you're doing! Why did it take me so long to see it? You're just trying to kill us all, one by one!"

"That's ridiculous!" Hermione argued and anger seeped into her voice, tainting her words. "I tried to protect you, save your bloody life!"

"Save my life?" Tonks hissed. "Last I checked, a Knocking-Back Jinx wasn't considered to a lifesaving act!"

"Foolish girl," Hermione answered. "Do you know what Bellatrix wants to do to you when she gets her hands on you? It would make what she did to me seem nice!" She left a pause between her words, allowing Tonks to imagine what exactly Bellatrix would be doing to her. "I thought that if you were out of the way, save from any harm, she wouldn't have a chance to come and get you. She was there for the Horcruxes first but she would have changed her mind in an instant if she had seen you."

"You seem to know an awful lot about how my deranged auntie works," Tonks pointed out. "Why?"

"Because I listened to her when she tortured me. I heard her laugh with Narcissa, slag you off like you were nothing more than the shit under her shoe," Hermione said and her hazel eyes met Tonks'. They had changed back to green. "She wants you almost as bad as she wants me. She wouldn't waste a chance to kill you, knowing that your death would bring your mother an even greater grief than the death of your father."

"Andy?" Molly called from inside the house. "I need some help!"

Andromeda rushed back to the front door and disappeared inside, leaving Hermione and Tonks alone. Hermione's eyes narrowed as she studied the Auror's face. Her fingers flexed around her wand, clutching it tighter, and without lifting it she whispered: "Obliviate!" The spell hit Tonks straight in the chest and Hermione watched with a bemused grin as the young woman's eyes glazed over. Hermione took aim again. "Imperio!" Tonks' eyes widened and the haze disappeared. Hermione smirked. "I want you to go inside and help your mother. Tell her you were wrong about me and you have changed her mind."

She watched as Tonks disappeared inside the Burrow and then followed. She found Harry and Ginny in the living room, standing a few steps away from the sofa where Minerva McGonagall lay propped up against the multi-coloured cushions. She had stopped bleeding but Hermione could see the deep gash in her leg and her arm. Molly and Andromeda were attempting to heal them but it took their combined efforts to make even the smallest change.

"What happened?" Harry whispered, his eyes still peeled on the injured wrist.

"Yaxley," Hermione answered through gritted teeth. In the back of her mind she still felt Bellatrix's hot breath against her neck and Narcissa's lips against her own. She swallowed hard. "He hexed her and he would have killed her if I… if I hadn't…" She didn't finish the rest of her sentence.

"You saved her, Hermione," Ginny said and she searched for the brunette's hand. "Mum said she's lost a lot of blood and she'll need time to recover but she's alive because of you."

"They found the other Horcrux," Hermione breathed and she looked at Harry. His green eyes met hers and she saw the fear, just like she had expected. "Bellatrix took it. It was at Hogwarts all along."

"How do you know?" Ginny asked and Hermione sighed.

"I saw her and Yaxley," she admitted. "She was holding it. I couldn't really see what it was but she seemed to be overjoyed that they had found it. I think You-Know-Who may have sent them to find it because he knew you were hunting him." She sighed. "I'm sorry Harry. All of this is my fault."

"It's allright, Hermione," Harry answered but she knew it wasn't. "I think I always knew this was going to happen."

"What do you mean?" Hermione questioned him. "Harry?"

"After Ron died, I began to think that maybe the prophecy never meant for me to live," Harry said. "I wondered if maybe it was meant to be for Voldemort to overpower us all." His green eyes found Hermione's. "When you told us about the wands and the Horcruxes, I realised that everything was pointing in Voldemort's favour, Hermione. There was nothing we could have done."

"Harry…"

"No." He shook his head and turned away from the injured Minerva McGonagall on the sofa. "We've lost, Hermione."

She looked at him. A smile graced her darkened soul, invisible for him to see and only for her to feel. She saw the broken look in his eyes, the defeat that was written across his bloodied face. _You have lost, Harry Potter but I, I have won._


	19. Undying Love

**A/N: **Apologies for the delay, my friends. I am afraid that life itself has gotten the better of me. I have been away on holiday and with that, my muse abandoned me for some time too. However, it would appear she has returned and I wrote this chapter in just over an hour. I hope you have remained patient. Enjoy. ~Cissy

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**Chapter 19**

"**Undying Love"**

"What are we going to do?" Arthur Weasley looked around the table. Whatever was left of the Order of the Phoenix sat around him. Molly sat to his right and Andromeda to his left. Tonks sat beside her. Then there were Harry and Ginny, Fred and George, Bill and Fleur and Charlie. The last people to have joined the table were Luna and Neville, who had arrived at the Burrow not long after the events of the castle. Both were still covered in blood and dust and Neville clutched three separate wands he had taken of the Death Eaters. He stared away into the distance, having fallen prisoner to the haunting images of war. Luna's hand covered his. She didn't speak.

Hermione's eyes fixed back on Arthur Weasley. This was all there was left of the Order of the Phoenix. Everybody else was dead. She was about to answer his question when the flames in the fireplace roared and the shape of another person appeared. Around her everyone drew their wands but Hermione didn't move. She had recognised the fiery red hair and averted her gaze when Percy stepped out of the flames, looking somewhat flustered.

"Don't say anything, dad," he said when Arthur was about to speak. He sat down in the only empty chair at the table and put his wand down in front of him. "It can wait."

Arthur nodded in approval and tears welled up in Molly's eyes. "Very well. Hogwarts has been lost. After tonight the castle belongs to You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters." He swallowed. "Minerva barely survived and will need time to recover, however Molly said she is insisting she goes back to the castle as soon as she is strong enough. Rumour has it that Severus Snape took her place."

"Filthy piece of shit," Harry grunted and Hermione's hazel eyes fixed on him. Dried blood stained his face and there was dust and rubble in his hair. She recognised his hatred and his anger. "He walks those corridors and we have been banished. He betrayed the man who trusted him!"

"We know, Harry," Molly said calmly. "I don't know what else there is we can do."

"Voldemort has the Horcruxes," Harry admitted and a soft gasp rose from the table. "He has whatever was hidden at Hogwarts and he has the item that was stored in Bellatrix Lestrange's vault. Without those Horcruxes, he cannot be destroyed and he will remain immortal." Blazing green eyes looked up and his gaze locked with Hermione's. "We have to find a way to stop him."

"The only way to do that would be to go to him, Harry," Hermione said flatly. "You can't do that."

"Maybe I can," Harry said but at the other side of the table Andromeda shook her head.

"You can't, Harry. You are the Chosen One. We have suffered great losses and we cannot afford to lose anymore. We have to think of a way to get back into Hogwarts and take back the castle. If not the castle then we must come up with a way to get the Horcruxes back to you and have them destroyed." Her voice shook. "We must go back to Malfoy Manor."

"Like he is going to hide those bloody things in plain sight!" Ginny objected but her father raised his hand to silence her.

"Malfoy Manor is our only chance."

Hermione felt her stomach tighten. The Order wouldn't stand a chance between the walls of the Manor. She rolled her wand through her fingers, remembering the touch of Narcissa's lips against her own and Bellatrix's breath against her skin. Her heart pounded against her ribcage as the memory intensified and her gaze snapped up, fixing on Andromeda in a moment of obsession and the longing grew in her eyes. The older woman saw her gaze and parted her lips to speak but Hermione shook her head.

"It has been a long day," Arthur said. He sounded tired and looked defeated. "I suggest we all try and get some sleep. Tomorrow we'll talk again. The world will look different in sunlight."

Hermione's gaze drifted to the window and she stared out of the darkened glass into the shadows that surrounded them outside. A grimace spread across her face. _No it won't. All you'll be able to see is the true destruction that will reveal itself in the light of day. _

People stood up and Molly rushed around the table to envelope her long lost son in her arms. Hermione watched for a few seconds, sickened by the display of family love after what their youngest son had done, and turned on her heels. She began climbing the stairs, aware of the wildfire that burnt inside of her, and when she reached the landing she turned to the small window. It had been here she had stood when she had first kissed Andromeda and sealed the betrayal. She stretched her neck as she felt the desire seep into her blood.

"Hermione?"

She turned around when she recognised Harry's voice behind her. He stood halfway up the stairs, with Ginny right behind him. A worried look reflected in his green eyes. "Are you allright?"

"I'm fine," she said dismissively and turned away from him. She stepped into the bedroom that would be hers for the night. It was Ron's old room. To rub salt into her wounds and sicken her further. She turned in the open door and her face remained emotionless. "Goodnight."

"What's wrong with her?" Ginny hissed as she and Harry continued to climb the stairs and eventually stepped into Ginny's bedroom. "She's acting very strange."

"She's probably just upset about what happened tonight," Harry said and took off his glasses. HE rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I bet she feels guilty that she couldn't get to the Horcrux before Bellatrix did. That witch has taken everything away from her."

"You think that's it?" Ginny asked, lowering her voice as she spoke. "You _really _think that's it?"

"Don't you?"

"I don't know, Harry. Hermione's been acting strange for some time. I just can't figure out what it is," Ginny sighed and let herself fall on her bed. She pulled up her knees to her chest and chewed her lip. Outside an unexpected lightning cut through the darkness and lit up their faces. In the distance thunder rumbled. "There are moments when she looks at us, at you, and I think I can see anger in her eyes. Like she resents you or something. Why would she look at you like that?"

"We're all angry, Ginny. A lot has happened to her."

"You're talking about Ron, aren't you?" Ginny said softly. "You know, I saw her that night, right before she ran away. She refused to tell me what had happened but I could see she was in pain." She hesitated. "I wish I'd just gone to get mum, even though she told me not to. Who knows, she may never have run off then and would never have come across Bellatrix." She looked up and the look in her eyes had changed. "She really got to her, didn't she?"

Harry studied his girlfriend's face. He knew that look. He had not seen it very often but when he had, Ginny had been about to tell him something he'd wish he'd never heard. He sat down on the bed beside her and took her hand into his own. Questioning green eyes searched for hers. "What are you saying?"

"I heard Tonks and Andromeda arguing outside when we came back from Hogwarts," Ginny said quietly. "Tonks said that Hermione had tried to hex her. Kill her even. She told Andromeda that Hermione is siding with Bellatrix." She hesitated, allowing her words to sink in. Harry's face began to change into a mask of anger. He flexed his fists.

"Tonks was wrong and you know it!"

"I don't know, Harry, she sounded pretty convincing to me." Ginny swallowed hard. "There are too many questions. Things not even Hermione can answer." She shook her head. "I feel like a horrible friend for even thinking these things." She peered at her boyfriend through her eyelashes. "Do you think Bellatrix could have Imperiused Hermione?"

Harry sighed but he had to admit that there was something about what Ginny had said that struck him. "I don't know. I suppose anything's possible."

"What are we going to do?" Ginny whispered. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Hogwarts is gone. Everything we held most dear has been ripped from our hearts. How are we ever going to take back what they took from us?"

"We fight," Harry said as he wrapped an arm around Ginny and pulled her close. He kissed the top of her head and let his fingers run through her long red hair. "We fight for as long as it takes and we will take back what belongs to us." Hatred flickered in his eyes as the words fell from his lips. "We'll take back everything that is rightfully ours."

Ginny brushed a stray tear from her face. "What about Hermione?"

"We'll think of something," Harry said reassuringly. Outside the thunder approached and another flash of lightning illuminated the room. "We have to. We have already lost Ron. We can't lose her too."

Ginny lifted up her head. Tear filled eyes looked at him. "What if we already have?"

"I think I'd rather not know."

~()~

Andromeda kneeled beside the bed that had been conjured up in the living room. She rinsed out the sponge she had used to wipe the older witch's forehead. Now that her wounds had been healed and most of the blood had been washed away Minerva looked more like her usual self but in the dim candle light Andromeda could see that the attack tonight had aged her beyond her years. Minerva looked gaunt and pale and her eyes had sunken deeper into her skull. Thin hands rested across her abdomen, folded neatly as if in prayer, and strands of her hair fell down the sides of her face.

"Andy, is that you?" Minerva murmured and slowly her emerald green eyes opened and she studied the other woman's face. She tried to smile. "I thought it was you."

Andromeda smiled. "Everyone else has gone to bed but I thought I'd check on you before succumbing to sleep." She cocked her head. "How are you feeling?"

"I'll get back to you on that when I no longer have to use explicits," Minerva groaned and Andromeda suppressed a chuckle. "Where are we?"

"Back at the Burrow," Andromeda said softly and let her eyes trail over the older witch's frail looking frame. It pained her to see her old friend like this. In her imagination Minerva McGonagall was indestructible. "I'm afraid you've been out for quite a while."

"Had it not been for Hermione, I would not have been here at all."

Andromeda's eyes widened. "Hermione?"

"She flung herself over my body when Yaxley was about to…" Minerva's voice broke and Andromeda could see the tears glisten in Minerva's eyes. "Bloody Yaxley. I taught him, you know. In fact, I taught most of those monsters we saw tonight. At moments like that I am embarrassed to be a teacher for I taught them what they know."

"You also taught the ones who defended Hogwarts tonight," Andromeda reminded her. "Seems you have taught Hermione well. She came to your protection without fear of her own death."

Minerva drew a deep breath. "She is a remarkable young witch."

"She is indeed."

"You love her dearly, don't you?" Minerva studied Andromeda's face and when the dark haired witch blushed, a faint smile spread across her face. "Love is not something to be ashamed of, Andromeda. It is something to be cherished with every beat of your heart for you never know what lies around the next corner."

Andromeda averted her gaze. "It would appear that not everyone is as convinced as you, Minerva."

The head of Gryffindor attempted to push herself up but her arms were too weak to support her weight and she rested back against the pillows. A glint of curiosity had reappeared in her eyes. "What do you mean, Andy? Who doubts you?"

"Not me, Minerva, but Hermione," Andromeda confessed. "My own daughter questioned her loyalty earlier tonight. She is convinced Hermione has been recruited by Bellatrix and will do anything to bring us to our destruction. I refuse to believe her. I simply cannot believe that Hermione would be capable of such treason. I need to believe her heart lies with us."

"Trust her," Minerva said softly and a trembling hand reached for Andromeda's. "She has proven herself tonight by bringing me back. Had she not been on our side she would have surely left me to die. Why would she have protected me the way she did? We have suffered greatly and we cannot afford to doubt our allies. We need every heart and every soul we've got if we want to win this war. Things have changed out there tonight. Voldemort is stronger than ever before."

"There is something that troubles me," Andromeda confessed and furrowed her brow. She felt horrified she was about to speak her own doubt out loud, having not allowed it out when she spoke to her daughter. "Something that happened during the battle that I cannot explain and I am not even sure I want to."

"Go on," Minerva encouraged. "What is this doubt that troubles you?"

"When the Death Eaters attacked the Burrow, Bellatrix took Hermione's wand with her. We all know how dangerous that union can be. We have seen its magic with our very eyes and it is unlike anything we have ever seen. However, tonight at Hogwarts, Hermione had her wand in her hand. It lined up with the wands of Bellatrix and Narcissa, like it had done before, and from their tips sprung a Killing Curse that could have killed us all."

"You're wondering how she got her wand back," Minerva said and Andromeda nodded. "What does your heart tell you?"

"That I need to believe her, that she speaks the truth," Andromeda said. "I have known Bellatrix a long time and although she does not see me as such, she is my sister and I know how she thinks. I can believe she left the wand out to be found, knowing that its magic is beyond Hermione's control. Bellatrix and Narcissa together are so much stronger than Hermione on her own could ever be. She wouldn't stand a chance against them."

"Then believe it to be so," Minerva said. "Has Tonks changed her mind?"

"She says she has but time will tell," Andromeda confessed and forced herself to smile. "You need to rest." She stood up and dropped the sponge into the bowl of water that stood next to the bed. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Andromeda," Minerva whispered and the dark haired witch turned around in the living room door way, her strong Black features illuminated in the golden candle light. Reassured that the older witch was comfortable for the night she turned around and began climbing the stairs.

When she reached the landing she stood forlorn for a moment and gazed out of the small window. She too remembered what had happened here that godforsaken night and heaved a sigh. She tore her gaze away from the glass and looked around the landing, unsure where her bed would be for the night. She spun around when a door opened and raised an eyebrow when she found Hermione standing in the doorway, dressed in just a simple black sleeveless shirt and dark red knickers. Thick curls fell down the sides of her face and she looked so young and so fragile now that she had washed away the blood. Pleading hazel eyes met Andromeda's dark brown.

"Stay with me tonight?"

"Of course," she replied and crossed the landing to the open door and followed Hermione into the room. When she closed the door she realised that this had once been Ron's room but it no longer looked as such. All the posters had been removed and the single bed had been transfigured into a double. The sheets were messy, like someone had tried to sleep but couldn't reach the quiet land of dreams. Candles stood around the room, their small flames creating haunting shadows on the wall. The curtains were open, inviting in the thunder that thrashed over their heads. Hermione turned around and her eyes found Andromeda's.

"How's Minerva?" she breathed.

"Better," Andromeda whispered as she closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around the young brunette. Hermione rested her head against Andromeda's chest and listened to the steady beating of her heart. Andromeda's fingers tangled in the brown curls and she took in a deep breath when she felt Hermione's hands slip under her robes and caress the warm skin on her back.

"I'm sorry." Hermione lifted up her head and their gazes locked.

"What could you possibly be sorry for?"

"The doubt I have caused," Hermione whispered and broke free from Andromeda's embrace. "I have raised doubts in your mind and in your heart. It was never my intention for you to question me."

"Hermione, I do not doubt you!" Andromeda said urgently and willed the brunette to turn around just so that she could look at her and Hermione could see the truth in her eyes. "We have to be able to trust each other if we want to survive this war. We cannot allow for any questions to rise that we are unwilling to see answered. Will you please just look at me?"

Hermione slowly turned. "I believe you but I am afraid others don't."

"They are foolish to question you," Andromeda said and reached for Hermione's hand. "Have they forgotten what you went through?"

"If they have then they have no idea how lucky they are," Hermione sneered and pointed at the bed. "I know you want to ask me about my wand, Andy. I spoke the truth when I said I found it. And I am beginning to understand why Bellatrix wanted me to have it. You saw what happened when I found them earlier tonight. I have no control over my own magic, not even the kind that lived inside of me. It's like they control me whenever I am near them. My wand lies in my hand but it is really under their control."

"I thought as much," Andromeda said softly and her thumb rubbed the back of Hermione's hand. She began guiding her towards the bed and they sat down. Andromeda's dark eyes sought to meet Hermione's lighter ones. "Do not question yourself anymore, Hermione. Tomorrow morning we'll find a way to get back to Hogwarts and figure out a plan to get rid of You-Know-Who."

Hermione leant in, her lips mere inches from Andromeda's. She felt her breath against her flesh, like she had felt Bellatrix's before. A twisted desire rose up in the pit of her stomach and her eyes darkened with lust. "I'm scared." The words tasted of lies and poison and she moved even closer until her lips found Andromeda's.

"Don't be," Andromeda whispered as her left hand cupped Hermione's cheek. The right dropped to the young brunette's abdomen and exposed the soft and tender flesh. "We're together."

Hermione let herself fall backwards onto the bed, pulling Andromeda with her. The second she felt the older witch's weight on top of her, she rolled over and placed a leg on either side of the other woman's body. Andromeda's hands rested on Hermione's hips and she stared up at the brunette that hovered over her. The lust that flickered in Hermione's eyes was enticing and Andromeda sat up far enough to capture hungry lips with her own. In a night where others grieved the loss of the castle and their loved ones by shedding tears, Hermione knew only one way to release her emotions. She allowed Andromeda to remove her top, revealing the bare breasts underneath, and it did not take long until they were both naked.

Their bodies moved together in a perfect rhythm of lust and longing and the beads of sweat glistened as their skin was illuminated by candle light. Hermione's knee pressed against Andromeda's damp centre and she groaned when she felt the older woman's nails dig deeply into her shoulders. Raw lips kissed and sharp teeth bit down on glowing flesh, drawing whimpers of pain and excitement from Andromeda's throat. She lowered herself until her thigh pressed against Andromeda's entrance and the older witch moved urgently as the seconds began to pass. Strong, desperate arms clung onto Hermione's body and Andromeda felt the tears well up in her eyes when she reached her climax. Her body shuddered as the orgasm spread through her, dazzling her mind for a precious moment, and she stared up at her lover in sheer devotion.

"You're amazing," she managed to whisper but Hermione kissed the words from her lips. She did not want to hear the words that would break this twisted spell.

When Andromeda's fingers encountered the wet entrance to Hermione's core a sharp outcry of desire escaped the young brunette and she threw her head back, thick brown curls raining down her back in ecstasy. She brought her body up until she once again straddled Andromeda. She looked down at her as her body rocked. Andromeda's fingers were deep inside of her. Hermione's fingers tangled in her own hair and her eyes rolled back into her head as the pressure built up inside of her. The candle light reflected her shadow onto the wall, looking almost demonic, as she increased her pace. When she looked down at the woman underneath her, she found the brown curls replaced by black and charcoal eyes staring back up at her. A memory seeped into the present time and Hermione closed her eyes, holding on to the last image she had seen for all that she was worth.

Hermione's teeth sank into her bottom lip when her orgasm hit her and she tasted her own sweet blood on her tongue. She collapsed on top of Andromeda, bringing their lips together for another searing kiss, and allowed the other woman to taste her too. Andromeda reached for the soft sheets and wrapped them around their sweaty, naked bodies and brushed a strand of hair out of Hermione's face. The brunette slowly opened her eyes and blinked. The memory had faded and only the truth remained.

"You have no idea how beautiful you are," Andromeda said softly as Hermione moved to lie down beside her.

She forced herself to smile. "It's why I have you to remind me."

"You must sleep," Andromeda said. "There is a lot to be done tomorrow."

Hermione nodded and rolled onto her side, her back turned towards the woman who shared her bed. She stared at the wall, longing for the shadows to come and take her away from this place. Beside her, Andromeda moved to wrap an arm around her waist and Hermione shivered when she felt the older woman's hand across her abdomen. Andromeda was beautiful, she could not deny her attraction, but she was a substitute for what her heart truly desired.

_You tell me I'm beautiful _she thought _but you have no idea of the danger that lies within me._


	20. Acts of Courage

**A/N: **Consider this a bit of an interlude leading up to something of such epic proportions I am not even quite sure how I am going to write it. It is all in my head, images and all, but it is whether I can bring it across with words that worry me. Either way, brace yourself for what is to come in future chapters. I have the full plot written out and I know what's going to happen, all the way up to the end. ~Cissy

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**Chapter 20**

"**Acts of Courage"**

The sun rose, casting its golden rays over a world that was broken. Plumes of smoke rose from the ruins of Hogwarts, desecrating the blue skies of the Scottish Highlands, as people moved around and were busy restoring the holes in the ancient walls. Stones had crumbled and glass had shattered, souls and hearts had been torn apart. The dead had been removed and the blood that had stained the floors and steps had been washed away. All that remained were the faces of those who had survived, now surrounded by the darkest of all evils as it moved further into their midst. Death Eaters had descended upon the castle at first light and Severus Snape looked out from the Astronomy Tower as those clad in black forced the students into manual labour. The first years were left to carry rubble from one side to another whilst the other students were forced to work hard. A grimace spread across his face as he became aware of those young faces, tainted by fear. They had succeeded. Hogwarts had fallen.

Far away from the Highlands the sun also graced the fields that surrounded the Burrow. In the distance a bird whistled a lonely morning song and for a few precious moments it was as if the world had not awoken to a time of change. The Weasley home was already alive with voices and footsteps and the scent of bacon and sausages filled the house. Hermione's eyes fluttered open as her body registered the cold beside her. Rolling onto her back her hand reached out and felt only an empty pillow. She sat up, wrapping the sheets around her naked body, and looked around. Andromeda was gone.

The knock on the door made her head whip around and her hazel eyes darted around the room, looking for her wand. Reassured it was right where she had left it her gaze fixed back on the door and she swallowed. "Come in."

The door opened slowly and Ginny's head poked around. "You awake?"

"Yeah," Hermione groaned as she slipped out of the bed. Her eyes briefly met Ginny's and she knew the redhead realised someone else had spent the night in the room with her. "What's going on?"

"Mum asked if you wanted any breakfast," Ginny said. There was a hint of curiosity in her voice. The tangled sheets and Hermione's naked body were a clear indication something had taken place between these four walls during the night. Her eyes narrowed as she watched Hermione look around for her clothes. "What happened?"

"Nothing that concerns you right now," Hermione answered sharply and Ginny fell silent immediately. She looked up and held up a clean shirt. She had gotten quite good at transfiguring items to wear. The clothes she had worn the day before were stained with blood. She did not want to face the reminder. "I'll be down in a few minutes. Just give me a chance to get dressed."

"Sure." Ginny softly closed the door and Hermione went about transfiguring a pair of jeans, a long sleeved black t-shirt and a pair of simple black boots with flat heels. Once she was dressed she bound her hair back in a ponytail, aimed her wand at the bed and watched how the sheets neatly fell into place. The candles disappeared and she curtains pulled themselves back before the windows opened and let in some much needed fresh air. The sight of the morning sun still rising over the horizon filled Hermione's heart with a sense of loss and she turned around, leaving Ron's old bedroom. She made her way down the stairs and walked into the kitchen.

Andromeda sat at the table, a plate of half-eaten toast and scrambled eggs and a steaming cup of tea in front of her. She looked up when Hermione walked in and their eyes met. A smile spread across her face as Hermione slipped into the empty chair beside her and briefly rested her head against her shoulder.

"Sleep well?" Andromeda whispered, letting her fingers run along Hermione's arm.

"Very well," Hermione answered quietly. "Thank you."

"Eggs? Bacon?" Molly asked as she leant across the table to give Hermione a cup of tea. The brunette shook her head but the Weasley matriarch wasn't having it. "Come on, love, you have to eat something. You can't go all day without food!"

"Just some toast then, please," Hermione said softly and tried to smile. "Thank you." Once Molly had turned around she looked at Andromeda. "Where's Minerva?"

"In the living room. I went to check on her earlier. She is doing much better," Andromeda answered. "You saved her life, Hermione."

Hermione nodded and stood up. She walked out of the kitchen and into the living room and found the Headmistress sitting up in the bed, surrounded by pillows. She looked better than the previous night, she thought, and her chest constricted at the sight of the older woman. She swallowed hard as she crossed the room. Minerva's emerald green eyes fluttered open and lit up when she discovered the young brunette standing in the middle of the room, arms hanging clumsily by her side. She weakly smiled.

"Hermione."

"Hi." She didn't know what else to say. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better now that I'm seeing you."

She ignored the compliment and averted her eyes. "I'm glad."

Minerva extended a hand and Hermione allowed her to take it. It felt cold in her own and the unexpected shock made her snap her eyes back to the older witch. Minerva looked less gaunt, she noticed, and her eyes had regained some of their natural shine. It appeared that someone had healed her wounds. "You saved my life, Hermione. I won't ever forget that."

"It's OK. You would have done the same for me."

It was hard to form the words of such a lie. She knew no one would come and try to save her life if the moment ever came. Not once they learnt the true extent of her betrayal. She kept her eyes peeled on Minerva's face, taking in the lines that had appeared in her skin. Minerva was what kept the Order together, Hermione knew. Without her they would truly fall apart. A part of her wished she had let her die and watch the Order crumble at her feet but she knew she needed their safety and protection for just a little while longer. Soon it would all be over. Soon they would all die.

"Did you speak to Andy?" Minerva whispered. Hermione's hazel eyes widened.

"Andy?"

Minerva gave the younger witch a knowing look. "She seemed eager to talk to you last night."

"Yes. We talked." Hermione glanced back over her shoulder into the kitchen. She had recognised Harry's voice. It sparked hatred inside of her. Unadulterated hatred that seeped into her veins and began to pollute her brain and ate away at whatever little part of conscience remained. She didn't know how much longer she could stand this. Having to surround herself with his arrogance and ignorance, to lie and pretend to be his friend. She wanted nothing more than to see his demise, to watch him fall at her feet and give up the last little bit of hope he so desperately clung on to.

"Go to him. He needs his friends," Minerva said softly and her hand slipped away from Hermione's. The brunette felt a cold shiver creep down her spine. "He needs you, Hermione."

She straightened her back. "I know." She spun around on her heels and walked out of the living room and back into the kitchen. A plate of toast had appeared on the table and she slipped back into her seat next to Andromeda. The older witch looked like she was going to say something but the dark look in Hermione's eyes silenced her speech. She followed Hermione's gaze and gasped quietly when she realised her eyes were fixed on Harry. The anger and hatred in her lover's eyes made her heart grow cold and Andromeda's eyes darted from Harry to Hermione and back. He seemed unaware of her piercing gaze, of the vile hatred that lingered beyond, and was talking to Ginny whilst cutting one of his sausages into three pieces.

More people made their way into the kitchen and in the commotion of people finding their seats and Molly serving breakfast, Andromeda averted her eyes and Hermione looked away from Harry and picked at her toast. After about fifteen minutes everyone was sitting at the table with their plates and mugs of tea and Molly had helped Minerva into the kitchen. She had wanted to object but the former Head of Gryffindor had been adamant she wanted to be part of the meeting. Hermione noticed she waked with a limp and had to hold on to Molly even during the small walk from the living room to the kitchen. Minerva looked like she was a lot better but when you looked more closely it was obvious she was still badly hurt.

Hermione observed the look that was exchanged by Arthur and Minerva and suspected they had spoken earlier that morning about what their plan was going to be. Arthur's hands were lying flat on the surface of the wooden table, palms down, and she could see the hint of fear in his eyes. This was all there was left of the Order, sitting around this very table.

"Harry told me about the importance of the Horcruxes," he said unexpectedly and everyone fell silent. "As long as the Horcruxes exit, You-Know-Who cannot be killed."

"We think he may be keeping the Horcruxes at Malfoy Manor. It is the only other place where he feels safe enough," Harry said and his green eyes wandered around the table, coming to a rest on every single person that was sitting there. "We have no choice but to try and destroy them."

"Even if it kills us?" asked Fleur.

Harry swallowed. "Even if it kills us. Not all of us are going to come out of this alive and too many have already lost their lives. It is the terrible thing about war; it takes away those we love the most." There was a hesitation. "Malfoy Manor is full of Death Eaters and Merlin knows what other creatures are siding with him these days. We know he's working the goblins and Hagrid informed Minerva that the giants have made their allegiance with him as well." Another pause. "Hagrid has left Hogwarts and has gone into hiding somewhere in Wales. There is nothing else we can do save the castle now. It belongs to Snape and his Death Eaters."

"So what are we going to do?" Luna asked.

Arthur Weasley glanced at Harry. "We're going to Malfoy Manor."

Molly almost dropped the teapot she was holding and Hermione suspected that she was less than happy about this latest decision. Her own brain was spinning fast. They were going to walk right into the Manor, where Bellatrix, Narcissa and the others would be waiting for them. She felt her heart swell with excitement as she realised that another battle would upon them. By the break of the next dawn the world would once again find itself in a different place. A place where Harry Potter was dead.

"We don't even know where Malfoy Manor is!" Bill objected and looked at his father. "No one has ever been there."

"Someone has," Harry said slowly and his eyes found Hermione's. She reluctantly met his gaze and held her head up high. "They can take us there."

"There is one problem though," Andromeda said and before Hermione could move she had grabbed the younger witch's arm and she withdrew the wand from inside her sleeve. Hermione tried to writhe free but Andromeda's grip was tight. As she slammed the wand on the table, blazing dark brown eyes found Harry's. "Either we leave this Death Stick at home or Hermione isn't coming with us!"

"For fuck sake," Hermione hissed. As if stung by a bee she withdrew her arm and stared at the woman who had shared her bed the previous night. It almost felt like a betrayal that Andromeda had taken her wand. "What the hell, Andy? What gives you the right to take another witch's wand?"

"This bloody thing can get us all killed, Hermione. We've seen what it can do when it's even remotely close to Bellatrix and Narcissa!" Andromeda said sharply and her eyes pierced into Hermione's. "You either decide to stay at home or you fight with another's wand."

"I suppose it's too much to ask for you to give me yours?" Hermione arched an eyebrow. "I can't fight with another's wand, Andy. It will not answer me like my own." When Andromeda didn't budge she groaned. "I know what this thing is capable off. I know what it has done but I can't go out to battle with a wand that doesn't belong to me, unless it is one that I have won for myself. Do you know anything about wand lore?"

"Andy has a point, Hermione," Minerva said and her croaky voice made everyone look up. "That wand is a liability."

"What you're really saying is that_ I'm_ the liability!"

"Hermione," Minerva said softly but the brunette witch had pushed her chair backwards and she shook her head. "Listen to us! No one is accusing you of anything. We just have to think about what we're doing. Your wand is perfectly fine as long as it's not in the same room with Bellatrix and Narcissa. We cannot guarantee that isn't going to happen tonight. Those two love a good fight and they will be expecting you to be part of it. They are counting on the magic to happen without you even wanting it to!"

"Fine." Hermione folded her arms across her chest and her eyes found Harry. "You are going to need me. Get me another wand and I'll come. What are we going to do with mine?"

"I don't know," Andromeda sighed as she rolled the stick through her fingers. The way she used her fingers was identical to the way Bellatrix toyed with her own wand and Hermione felt her heart pound against her ribcage as she stared at the dark haired woman. "I know this wand chose you, Hermione, and I wouldn't dare separate you from it, but it cannot be trusted. And once it is in your hands we can no longer trust you, through no fault of your own."

Hermione launched forward and grasped the wand from Andromeda's open palm. "We'll think of something." She clutched it between her fingers and brought it close to her heart. "When do we leave?"

"At night fall," Arthur answered. "We have no other choice. If we do not succeed today, all will be lost."

Hermione nodded and spun around her heels before stalking out of the kitchen, through the front door and out into the fields. She left the door wide open in her wake, inviting in the cool morning breeze. Her exit sparked a conversation around the table and people started talking to each other. Andromeda stood up and walked up to Molly, who was busy stacking the dirty plates in the sink. She leant against the counter and chewed on her bottom lip.

"Something on your mind, Andy?" Molly asked as she cast the other woman a sideways glance.

"I don't know," Andromeda replied. "I can't quite put my finger on it."

"On what?"

"Hermione."

Molly stopped stacking the plates. "What do you mean?"

"Something isn't right." Andromeda's eyes narrowed as she studied the faces of those still present in the kitchen and eventually singled out her daughter. Tonks was standing on the opposite side of the room, leaning against one of the chairs, and she seemed to stare at something in the distant. Andromeda pushed herself away from the counter, circled the table and reached her daughter. She gently put a hand on her arm and Tonks slightly jumped before looking at her mother, dazed.

"You allright, Nymphadora?"

"Yeah, fine," the young Auror answered and looked at her mother. "Just thinking."

Andromeda arched an eyebrow. "Care to share?"

"Not something I can really put into words," Tonks said and her voice trailed off when Hermione stepped back into the kitchen. Her eyes fixed on the brunette and across the length of the room their gazes locked. Andromeda watched the exchange with curiosity and for a brief moment she thought she could see Hermione's hand move up her sleeve but her attention was diverted to Minerva, who staggered towards her. As she went over to help, Tonks turned around and disappeared out of the room. Hermione followed the bubble gum haired Auror and caught up with her half way up the stairs.

"You will convince your mother to let me take my wand," Hermione said as she loosely aimed her wand at the young woman who had once been her friend. The look in Tonks' eyes glazed over and Hermione smiled to herself as she recognised the Imperius Curse. It was still in place. She had been worried the young Auror would have tried to fight the spell but if she was she had not yet succeeded to break it. "Convince Arthur and Minerva that I am far better off with my wand then without." She moved a little closer to the other woman until she pressed her against the wall with her own body.

Lowering her wand she whispered, "I had expected you to do better than this. Poor excuse for an Auror if you can't even fight the Imperius Curse!"

Her head snapped around when she heard footsteps approaching and a few seconds later Harry and Ginny appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Harry's green eyes widened when he spotted Hermione standing closely to Tonks, with the bright haired Auror's hand now resting on the brunette's waist. Ginny's face darkened.

"Something wrong?" Hermione asked as she quickly stepped away from Tonks and let the other woman's hand slide away from her. The Auror seemed to regain her composure and she too looked at Harry, a sheepish grin spreading across her face. When neither Harry nor Ginny replied, she continued climbing the stairs and Tonks followed her.

"What the hell was that?" Harry asked as he turned to Ginny, a frown appearing on his forehead. "Did we interrupt something?"

Ginny sighed. "I wasn't going to say anything but it looked like someone spent the night with Hermione last night when I walked into her room this morning."

"What? You think it was Tonks?" Harry asked but Ginny shook her head. "I didn't think so. I mean, come on, you said yourself that you overheard Tonks and Andromeda argue the other night."

"I think it was Andromeda."

Harry did a double take. "Come again?"

Ginny looked over her shoulder to make sure no one else was about to come up the stairs. "I think it was Andromeda who slept in Hermione's room last night." Harry stared at her in surprise. "You know, sometimes I am surprised you even managed to figure your own feelings out, Harry. Andromeda's been in love with Hermione for some time."

"And you think they…"

"I'm sure of it," Ginny finished his sentence. "What I can't figure out is why."

"Well, you said she was in love with her."

"No shit. It's all over her face whenever she looks at her but I just never guessed Hermione would, you know, be with someone else after what Ron did to her." Ginny averted her eyes. She didn't really want to talk about what her brother had done to her friend. She wanted him to hate him and it was quite easy when she didn't think about th fact that he was brother but whenever she spoke his name out loud he became a person, he became real, and he became her brother all over again.

"This is way too complicated," Harry said as he ruffled his hair. "Andromeda was married to Ted. They had Tonks together. I always thought Hermione was in love with Ron but obviously I was wrong." He sighed. "I just didn't think I'd ever see Hermione with a woman." Suddenly Ginny laughed and Harry's eyes snapped up. "What are you laughing at?"

"We're going to fight tonight and we're probably going to be dead by dawn," Ginny hiccoughed as the tears started streaming down her face. She snorted and Harry had to smile too. "And we are standing here, on the stairs, gossiping about our friends' love life. Doesn't that strike you as a little bit ironic?"

"Just a bit," Harry admitted. His eyes wandered further up the stairs. "But if you're right and Hermione is seeing Andromeda, then why did she just go up the stairs with Tonks?"

Ginny shrugged and began climbing the stairs. Harry was right on her heels. When they reached the landing Ginny found Tonks standing by the window and looked over her shoulder at Harry as if to say that he was wrong and Hermione wasn't with her after all. The bright haired Auror turned towards the couple and a smile graced her lips.

"Wotcher," she said. "You guys allright?"

"Yeah," Ginny smiled without explaining why they had come up the stairs and reached for Harry's hand. "You?"

"Just thinking," Tonks answered and her gaze drifted back to the window. "There is a lot at stake tonight."

Harry nodded silently and he and Ginny filed past Tonks and made their way to Ginny's bedroom. There was a sense of fear and doom lingering around the house and people spent their morning together, enjoying what they loved the most about each other's company. Nobody knew if by nightfall or the break of a new dawn they would still be alive or not. The knowledge that death could be imminent filled the house with sadness as well as a certain joy. A joy that seemed to give them strength to go out there tonight and face whatever came onto their path.

Hermione sat on the bed, her legs folded and her hands resting in her lap. Her wand lay beside her and she stared at the floor. She tried to keep her mind empty and blank, void of any thoughts or memories. She focused on the steady rhythm of her heart beat, how the blood rushed through her veins and how her lungs slowly expanded with air. She did not hear the footsteps on the landing or the voices downstairs. All she heard was her own heartbeat in her ears. Tonight the inevitable would happen. Once darkness fell everything would change.

After a few more minutes she slipped off the bed, placing her feet quietly but firmly on the wooden floor. She took her wand, rolled it once through her fingers and stored it up her sleeve. She left a piece of parchment on the bed and turned to look at it one last time. The blank ink stood out against the pale paper and Hermione read her own words.

_Andy,__  
I have gone to finish what I started. What I am about to do will change__ everything. I may not survive but __I cannot ask of you to die for me or die with me.__  
__All my love__  
__Hermione. _

From the depths of her mind she called up the image of the one place where she knew she belonged, the place where she knew her heart and her soul needed to be. She turned on the spot and with a faint 'pop' she Dissaparated. This was the beginning of the end.


	21. Trinity

**A/N: **I have done something in this chapter I have never done in any of my stories before and because of it I think the rating now officially needs to change. I know I have been playing and hinting at it in earlier chapters but somewhere deep down I felt like I had to do it properly, out in the open, without playing about. It was something that felt like it had to happen. Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter and I know that maybe not all of you will agree with what I have done. I'm sorry if it is not your thing but to me it felt strangely right to add it in. ~Cissy

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**Chapter 21**

"**Trinity"**

The gravel snapped under her boots as she walked up to the heavy wooden front doors of Malfoy Manor. The sun had fully risen and the skies were surprisingly blue. Hermione's eyes wandered around. The world looked deceptively peaceful but she knew it was just a façade. She climbed the few stone steps leading up to the doors and knocked. The doors swung open the second her skin made contact with the wood and she stepped into the high ceilinged entrance hallway.

"What are you doing here?" Bellatrix stood halfway down the marble staircase, her charcoal eyes fixed on the brunette.

Hermione squared her jaw. "We need to talk."

Bellatrix's dark eyes narrowed and she beckoned for Hermione to follow her. "Very well." She waited for the younger witch to reach her and when she did her arm snaked around her waist and she pulled her nearer. Hermione took in the erotic scent of her lover when Bellatrix's hungry lips captured her own and moaned longingly into the kiss.

"I've missed you," she whispered when they parted and rested her forehead against that of Bellatrix. "I do not cope well with being separated from you."

"You will not be for much longer," Bellatrix promised as she let her hand slide down Hermione's jaw. "Soon we will be together for ever."

She took Hermione's hand and began leading her further up the stairs. When they reached the landing Hermione willingly followed the raven haired Death Eater across the corridor towards the room that belonged to her. The curtains were still drawn and a minimal amount of sunlight fell into the room. Bellatrix quietly closed the door behind her, as if she was worried someone would hear them, and turned to find Hermione standing by the bed.

"The Order will be attacking tonight," Hermione said and Bellatrix's face lit up. "They're looking for the Horcruxes and they intend to take them by force."

"I'm surprised they even want to fight after the losses they have suffered," Bellatrix smirked and closed the distance between her and Hermione. Unexpectedly tender hands came to a rest on the brunette's waist and slender fingers played with the hem of her shirt. Skin brushed against skin. The feather light touch stirred something almost primal inside Hermione and her eyes darkened as their gazes locked.

"There will not be many, ten or twelve at most. They will not stand a chance." She whispered her words, her breath warm against Bellatrix's skin. The Death Eater's hands had now slipped under her shirt and were softly caressing the bare flesh of her stomach. Hermione leant into the touch, her skin burning with longing. "We can kill them all."

"What about Minerva?" Bellatrix asked. "What became of her?"

"She is alive but crippled. She will not be able to fight and the Burrow is the Orders only shelter." Hermione pressed her lips against Bellatrix's. "She is an easy target."

"Good." Bellatrix softly nibbled on Hermione's bottom lip as her hands continue to caress her stomach. Unexpectedly she pulled the shirt over her young lover's head and smiled in appreciation at the simple black laced bra she wore underneath. Ruby lips softly kissed the side of her neck, sucking down on the pulsating vein, before moving further towards her collarbone. Hermione's hands tangled in the mess of black manes and she arched her back into Bellatrix's touch.

"I have missed you so much."

"I know, my love. I have missed you too."

Hermione's eyes fluttered shut when Bellatrix's hand wandered over her breasts. Her nipples responded and she groaned softly. "What's going to happen now?" Bellatrix's deep throaty chuckle made the hairs in the back of her neck stand up.

Bellatrix removed her lips from Hermione's glowing skin and a twisted grin spread across her face. In the dim light of the room she looked so beautiful, so strangely innocent, but her eyes held all the hatred in the worlds. The words felt like sweet poison as they fell from her lips. "Tonight they will die. Tonight you will show them what you really are."

Hermione whimpered when Bellatrix thumb rolled over her hardened nipple. The words fell from her tongue with a soft hiss. "Their enemy."

Bellatrix lips were on hers again and Hermione tasted the sweet desire. Exploring hands eagerly untied the laces of the other woman's corset, freeing her breasts. Feeling Bellatrix's swollen nipples against her own flesh made her core burn with longing and she smiled when Bellatrix's hands descended down her stomach and began unbuttoning her jeans. Her fingers dipped behind her knickers for a split second, teasing the desire that grew so quickly, before wrapping her strong arms around the younger witch and pushing her backwards onto the bed. Bellatrix stepped out of her black skirt with ease and straddled Hermione.

The door swung open and both women looked up, disapproval written across their faces. The figure that appeared however soon removed their anger and Narcissa's blue eyes widened when she realised her sister was no longer alone. She was about to make her apologies when Hermione extended her hand. Bellatrix watched in a mixture of surprise and excitement as her sister crossed the room, accepting Hermione's hand, and climbed onto the bed beside them. When Narcissa leant in for a searing kiss, Bellatrix's hands returned to what they had been doing and she managed to unhook Hermione's bra.

Hermione's fingers unzipped the beautiful burgundy robes Narcissa was wearing and revealed the pure white skin that lay hidden underneath. The garment fell to the floor in a tangled mess as the brunette continued to explore the blonde witch's body with her hands, encountering the swell of Narcissa's breasts and drawing a moan from her throat when sharp fingernails grazed over her nipples. Hermione arched her back when she felt Bellatrix's lips close around her own and twisted her neck in an attempt to capture Narcissa's lips.

The three bodies were no strangers to each other. Though Narcissa's hands had never before explored Hermione's skin she knew her way as well as her sister did. Hermione watched the looks the two sisters exchanged and realised her feelings had been correct. They had shared something that went beyond the intimacy of a sibling.

"Oh God," Hermione whispered when Narcissa's hand slipped between her thighs and the tip of the blonde's index finger encountered the dampness of her core. It was as if her whisper was the final push for the older woman and she entered the brunette with one firm thrust, causing her body to rise up from the bed before falling back again. Bellatrix lay beside Hermione, her raven curls sprawled out across the pillows and her arms wrapped around her. She watched with lustful eyes as her sister pleasured her young lover.

Narcissa's thrusts quickened and Hermione's eyes fluttered shut. Sweat glistened on her forehead and in the valley between her breasts. Her heart pounded against her ribcage as she pulled up her leg, allowing the beautiful blonde witch more space as well as an amazing view. Bellatrix's warm lips nipped at the burning flesh on her neck, circling her pulse point with the tip of her tongue as long nails grazed over her hardened nipples.

Hermione's right handed found itself a way between Bellatrix's legs and she hissed in appreciation at the wetness she encountered. The raven haired Death Eater bit down on Hermione's shoulder when the younger witch entered her and Narcissa briefly stopped what she was doing to watch her sister and her lover. A smile spread across her face as she recognised the longing in Bellatrix's eyes and the ecstasy she saw appear in her eyes only increased Narcissa's own rapid heartbeat. She eventually went back to what she had been doing, placing soft kissed across Hermione's stomach before lowering herself between her thighs.

Hermione cried out in lust when she felt Narcissa's tongue flick over her swollen bundle of nerves and briefly stilled her own hand to enjoy the feeling. Narcissa's touches were soft but skilful and Hermione felt how the climax began to build up in the pit of her stomach. Narcissa's arms snaked around her hips, locking her firmly in place, and Hermione arched her back as the sensation began to overwhelm her. She continued to touch Bellatrix and the older woman was breathing heavily against Hermione's skin and the brunette recognised the signs of an imminent orgasm.

Her body exploded right before she felt Bellatrix's nails dig so deeply into her flesh that she drew her blood. Strings of hair stuck to her damp forehead as her back arched, lifting herself off the bed, before collapsing again. Bellatrix's body had draped itself around her, shuddering as the raven haired Death Eater rode out the waves of her own orgasm. Hermione's arms desperately clung onto her and held her breath for a few seconds as she descended from her cloud of ecstasy. When her eyes fluttered open she found Narcissa laying on her other side, a soft hand caressing both hers and Bellatrix's arm.

"So beautiful," Narcissa whispered as she leant in and her lips found Hermione's. She tasted the salt and the blood where Hermione's teeth had sunk into her lip. She smiled into the kiss as she felt the brunette roll onto her side so she could caress her breasts. She had not even removed her lips when she felt Hermione's hand slide between her legs and blue eyes widened in delight. She looked over Hermione's shoulder at her sister, who had pushed herself back up and looked at them, a smile gracing her lips. Unexpectedly Bellatrix slipped off the bed and Narcissa followed her with eyes, still very much aware of Hermione's touches between her legs. Bellatrix walked around the bed and climbed back on the other side, laying herself behind her sister. A strong arm snaked around Narcissa's waist and charcoal eyes locked with Hermione's.

"Touch her," Bellatrix encouraged her younger lover and Hermione's hazel eyes darkened as she descended down Narcissa's chest. Warm lips closed around dark pink nipples, biting down softly and gaining a muffled moan in response. Bellatrix brushed a strand of blonde hair out of her sister's face before gently kissing the side of her neck, circling the spot where she felt her sister's heartbeat against her tongue. Slender fingers trailed down her sister's spine.

Hermione dipped her tongue into Narcissa's belly button before lowering herself even further. The blonde still lay on her side and Hermione reached the triangle between her legs. She heard Narcissa gasp when the tip of her tongue slid through her wet folds and hazel eyes widened in surprise when she realised Bellatrix had entered her sister from behind, moving her fingers slowly but firmly. A smile spread across her face as she moved back in, flicking her tongue over Narcissa's swollen bundle of nerves. Narcissa's fingers tangled in Hermione's thick curls and Hermione matched Bellatrix's thrusts.

"Oh fuck." Narcissa felt herself slide over the edge and a raw outcry escaped her when her body hit its orgasm. Sweat glistened on her pale skin as her body rocked, supported by sister's arms, and her blue eyes rolled back into her head. Her throat was dry and when she descended from the magical experience she found Hermione beside her, lying on her back with an arm folded behind her head, showing herself in all her glory. Bellatrix's head rested on her shoulder, an arm protectively wrapped around her waist. Soft lips nibbled on her earlobe.

Bellatrix's dark eyes found Hermione's and she smiled. "To victory."

Hermione leant in, kissing Bellatrix over Narcissa's body. "To victory."

~()~

"MOLLY?"

Andromeda's voice echoed around the Burrow and suddenly the place was alive with voices and footsteps. People rushed up the stairs and they call came to a halt in the open doorway of Ron's old bedroom. Andromeda stood by the bed, clutching a small piece of parchment, and she turned around to face Molly, Arthur, Harry and Ginny. Fear had filled her dark eyes and she shook her head.

"She's gone."

"Gone? What do you mean, gone?" Molly asked as she stepped into the room. Andromeda handed her the piece of parchment and she looked at it. She covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh…"

"What happened?" Harry walked into the room and when he reached the Weasley matriarch and studied the peace of parchment his eyes found Ginny's. She still stood in the open door, flanked by her father. "She's gone to Malfoy Manor herself."

"It's going to kill her," Arthur said and Andromeda covered her face with her hands. Molly wrapped a protective arm around the dark haired witch but Andromeda seemed reluctant to accept her comfort. Arthur furrowed his brow. "Why would she go out on her own? She knows she doesn't stand a chance against any of them!"

"She blames herself for everything that has happened," Andromeda said and looked up. Tears glistened in her eyes. "She believes that all of this is her fault. If she had not run away that night, she would not have come across Bellatrix and my sister would not have found out what happened here. Hermione thinks that everything that happened is because of that fateful night and she feels like she is to blame. She's not gone to end this war; she's gone to sacrifice herself."

"We have to stop her," Arthur said but he was cut off by a hand that was placed on his shoulder. He stepped aside once he realised it was Tonks. The young Auror stepped into the room and her light green eyes fixed on her mother.

"Mum," she said softly. "There is nothing you can do to stop her. I think you know that."

Andromeda's face hardened. "What are you saying?"

"You know she's gone to do what she believes is right," Tonks said and put her hand on her mother's arm. "We can go and help her but you know you cannot stop her. She has to do this, for herself." Her eyes found Harry's and she saw the understanding. "Some of us know what it feels like to have to prove yourself. Harry, I know you've had your doubts about her but you must know what she must be going through. To hold yourself responsible, to feel like the whole world is looking at you…"

He averted his eyes in defeat. "I know." His answer was but a whisper.

"You sure sound like you have changed your mind about her," Molly said. There was a hint of suspicion in her voice. "The other night I had to practically tear you and your mother apart as you argued about Hermione's loyalties. Whatever happened for you to change your mind?"

Tonks didn't answer and instead she just looked at her mother. Andromeda seemed lost, clutching the piece of parchment with Hermione's handwriting in her fist. She turned around to face Arthur Weasley and straightened her spine. "We can't wait till nightfall."

He stared at her, bewildered. "Andy, what in the devil's name…"

"Arthur, we have to get her back or at least try and help her! She is out there on her own trying to undo something that wasn't her fault. Do you really believe she is going to survive till nightfall?" Andromeda confronted him and he shook his head. Andromeda's eyes darted around the room, eventually coming to a rest on Harry. "Do any of you dare to think about what Bellatrix might be doing to her right now?"

Molly swallowed. "Arthur, tell the others we're leaving in half an hour."

Her husband looked up, clearly surprised by her sudden determination. "What?"

"We're going to get Hermione," Molly said and withdrew her wand from her apron. "I'll be damned if I let Bellatrix have her wicked way with that poor girl again."

Everyone suddenly moved swiftly. They went back downstairs and called for the others to join them in the kitchen. Minerva came in from the living room and listened in silence as Arthur explained Hermione had left earlier that morning and they believed she had gone to try and correct what she believed she had done wrong. His wand lay on the table but when he picked it up he expressed a great sense of pride and devotion.

"Albus Dumbledore himself would not have wanted us to give in to the darkness. He would have expected us to fight and stand up for ourselves. He did not believe in Voldemort and neither do we!" The power of his words erased some of the fear in the eyes of those who were watching him. Andromeda stood by the kitchen door, wand drawn. Tonks stood beside her, also with her wand drawn. Andromeda cast her daughter a sideways glance and searched for her hand.

"I'm glad you've come around," she said softly. Light green eyes met her own.

"Me too, mum."

"Have I ever told you how proud I am of you?" Andromeda swallowed hard to get rid of the sudden lump in the back of her throat and a lone tear glistened in the corner of her eye. "Your father and I are so proud, Nymphadora. I wish we would have told you more often but we love you. I love you."

"I love you too, mum," Tonks whispered. She hugged her mother and rested her head on her shoulder for a little while. When they parted their eyes met and Tonks tried to smile encouragingly. "We'll get her back and you'll get another shot at happiness."

Andromeda's gaze drifted out of the window. The sun was shining brightly in the clear blue sky. The world bore all the signs of a beautiful summers day but she knew that it wasn't going to last. Soon the black clouds would be back again, shrouding what they held most dear in darkness. A sense of fear crept into her heart. "Let's just hope my crazy sister hasn't shattered whatever tiny bit of happiness Hermione still had."

"We Apparate together," Arthur said. "Hold hands and make sure you stay together as a group. Once we reach Malfoy Manor we split up in smaller groups." He looked around. "Harry, Ginny, Neville and Luna are one group. Fred, George, Bill and Fleur are the second." The eight people nodded. "Charlie and I will go together and Andromeda and Tonks will form a group." He looked at his wife and Andromeda could see that a large part of Molly Weasley wanted to go to battle. She wanted to fight Hermione. "Molly, darling, someone needs to stay here and watch Minerva. Once the Death Eaters realise we're there, they will not hesitate to come looking for her here." He swallowed. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Molly whispered and she leant in to kiss her husband goodbye. She hid her fear well, Andromeda thought, though she could see it flickering in her eyes. Molly and Arthur briefly linked their fingers and closed their eyes. Then they parted and Molly saw the group off into the sunlight outside. "I'll see you when you get back."

Andromeda could only hope that was true.

"Wait!" Harry said suddenly and several sets of eyes fixed on him. "Hermione isn't here. How are we ever going to Apparate to Malfoy Manor when we don't know where it is?"

"Oh but we do," Arthur said with a sly smile. "I once led a raid on Malfoy Manor, Harry. It had slipped my mind when we were talking earlier but I have been to the Malfoy home. I must admit it has been quite we all but not even bloody Lucius Malfoy has the ability to pick up his house and change its location."

Harry nodded and extended his hand to Ginny. She took it and everyone around them locked hands too. Andromeda glanced at her daughter, whose gaze was fixed on something in the distance. All she could think about was Hermione and how desperate she was to get her back. She felt little fear. Her eyes fluttered shut when she recognised the familiar feeling of Apparition near her belly button and held on tightly to Tonks' hand. When she opened her eyes again she was standing outside a large metal gate that separated them from Malfoy Manor.

She drew her wand and everyone around her did the same. Arthur took a few steps towards the gate and muttered something under his breath. An almighty explosion followed and tge gates were blown off their hinges. People shot off in different directions and from one of the windows on the second floor several Killing Curses were shot their way. Andromeda forced her heart to calm down in her chest and began walking up the gravelled path.

There was no way back.


	22. Crusade

**A/N:** And so it begins...

* * *

**Chapter 22**

"**Crusade"**

The heavy wooden front doors were wide open, inviting the new arrivals to their imminent destiny. Andromeda stepped into Malfoy Manor's large entrance hall and her eyes darted around. There was nobody else here but her but she could hear the sounds of battle in the distance. The sound of glass shattering rang in her ears and she needed only a second to determine it had come from the floor above her. Without hesitation she darted up the marble staircase, without an eye for the wealth her younger sister had acquired throughout her life and without looking at the paintings of all the previous Malfoy heirs that had resided here. Her heart pounded in her chest when she reached the landing and she found a door open a few steps to her right.

She slowed her pace and approached the room. She peered around the open door way and recognised two figures engaged in a furious fight. A gasp escaped her when she recognised her sister's husband, Lucius. After the attack on the Burrow he had been handed over to the Ministry but not long after Voldemort had broken him and several other Death Eaters out of Azkaban. Ever since that night the streets were littered with thugs and criminals alike as the Dark Lord no longer made an exception in whom he allowed to fight in his name.

The other figure was Arthur Weasley and Andromeda watched in horror how Lucius' wand slashed down and a deep cut appeared across her friend's chest. Arthur slumped down to his knees, his hands covered in blood as he fought for air. His eyes widened as he stared up at his tormenter and Andromeda could hear his ragged breath. Lucius looked down at the man squirming at his feet and a sneer spread across his face.

"So this is what it has come to, Weasley," he snarled and circled the bleeding man. "After all those years it is me who brings you down instead of the other way around. Consider this my repayment for what you have done to me." His arm went up again and Arthur's eyes slowly fluttered shut. He accepted his death.

"NO!" Andromeda cried out and Lucius spun around in surprise. His grey eyes narrowed as he seemed startled by the appearance of the dark haired witch, believing for a moment she was her sister, but then recognition dawned in his eyes and he openly laughed.

"Well, well, well, look who it is," he chuckled and glanced back at Arthur. His eyes had opened again and he stared at Andromeda as if he was pleading with her to leave while she still could. "If it isn't the scum that is related to my wife."

"Who are you calling scum, Lucius?" Andromeda sneered. "I think you and I have two very different meanings for that word." She stepped further into the room, clutching her wand, and her dark brown eyes met her brother-in-law's grey. She crossed the room in confidence and placed herself in front of Arthur Weasley. Her beautiful features hardened. "Get away from him!"

"And I was just starting to enjoy watching him suffer," Lucius casually replied. "Oh well, looks like I will just have to add you to the list."

"Not before I have added you to mine," Andromeda hissed and her wand flicked quicker than Lucius had expected. "IMPEDIMENTA!"

The Knocking Back jinx sent Lucius flying and Andromeda didn't wait to see his body slump down against the furthest wall. She fell down to her knees beside Arthur and despetately attempted to stop the bleeding from the deep cut. She felt her heart freeze in her chest when she realised the wound was far worse than she had guessed at first. She sowre under her breath and placed the tip of her wand against Arthur's sternum.

"Andy, just go," he whispered and searched for her hand. "Find Hermione."

"No," she said through her tears. "I am not leaving you here to die, Arthur. Not after everything you have done for me and my family."

"Andy, there is nothing you can do for me. I have lost too much blood. I know the spell Lucius used. It is not meant to leave a victim alive." Artur's fingers closed around Andromeda's wrist and he tried to push her away. "You haven't got time to look after me." His eyes found hers and she swallowed hard. "Do what you can and then leave. I'll be allright."

"You'd better be," she whispered as she moved her wand over his chest and watched the skin heal. "Molly is waiting for you at home. She is waiting for you to come back, you hear me?" A cold shiver crept down her spine when she saw how the colour drained from Arthur's face. "You hear me, Arthur? Ginny and Fred and George, they need their dad. And Bill and Fleur, they need you too. And Charlie and Percy. Your children need you, Arthur. You hear me?" There was no answer. A tear chased down her cheek. "You hear me?"

Arthur groaned something she didn't understand and Andromeda pushed herself up. Assured that she had done the best she could she levitated his body onto the four poster bed in the room and then turned around to face Lucius. He stirred and she watched how he flexed his hands, looking for his wand. She slowly walked towards him and stepped on the stick before he could reach it. Grey eyes looked up to her and she sensed his nerves.

"You will do no further harm," she hissed as she leant down to pick up Lucius' wand. With ease she snapped it in half and threw it back down. "Get up."

"You don't make the rules in my house!" he protested but Andromeda's hand shot out and she slapped him across his cheek.

"I said _get up," _she repeated and poked the tip of her wand into his neck. "Get up before I make you get up!"

Lucius Malfoy scrambled to his feet and Andromeda pointed at the door. He went ahead and she made him wait with his face towards the wall as she turned around and muttered a soft incantation under her breath. The door to the room vanished and was replaced by a wall identical to the rest. She turned back to Lucius and jerked her head towards the stairs.

"Where are we going?" he wanted to know as he started his descend.

Andromeda jammed her wand into her brother-in-law's back and squared her jaw. "Back to where you belong."

She had expected to run into other people on her way back down the stairs but there was no one. She crossed the entrance hall and started for the dungeons, the stairs of which were located in the drawing room. The doors to the magnificent room swung open as she approached and Lucius glanced over his shoulder as she pushed him towards the stone steps. She didn't speak but merely forced him down until they reached the dungeon door. It squeaked as it opened and with one firm push she shoved her brother-in-law into the dark dungeon.

"Let's hope for your sake I don't accidentally forget I left you here," she said sharply and she locked the door. Seeing him behind bars, looking somewhat lost and confused, brought a sense of euphoria to her chest. Dark eyes narrowed. "Where's Hermione?"

Lucius' lips curled up as he realised why Andromeda had locked him away. "You'll never find her."

"I could do it, you know," Andromeda said as she twirled her wand through her fingers. Lucius' eyebrows shot up and she smirked. "They say you have to mean it and I know I would." She aimed her wand at his chest and felt her muscles tighten. "You'd tell me eventually."

"You wouldn't," Lucius replied with a disdainful smirk. "It is not in your nature to hurt people, Andromeda. That much was clear even when we were still in school. You might think you could do it but we both knew you couldn't."

She didn't answer and spun around on her heels when she recognised the sound of footsteps approaching. She ran back up the stairs, hiding at the top step to see who had entered the drawing room. Her breath escaped in relief when she recognised Harry and Ginny, accompanied by Fleur.

"Harry!" Andromeda called and the trio spun around at the sound of her voice. Relief filled their faces. As she approached them she realised Harry's glasses were broken and Fleur was covered in blood. Ginny looked shell shocked. When she reached them she grasped the boy's hands. "What happened?"

"We ran into Rabastan and Rodolphus Lestrange," Harry replied meekly. "They were torturing Bill and Fleur and they were…" He looked at Fleur. Her shirt was torn. Andromeda's eyes darkened. "They're dead."

"Dead?" Andromeda echoed. "What do you mean, dead?"

"I killed them." Harry's words sounded empty and Andromeda immediately understood the expression on Ginny's face. Her gaze drifted to Fleur. She looked like she was miles away in her head. "Bill got away. I don't know where he is. We tried to find him but he was gone. Fleur…" He hesitated and in the distance the sound of spells crashing into the walls sent the manor rumbling. "I don't know if she's allright."

"She will be," Andromeda reassured him even though she wasn't too sure the French witch would be in the end. "You're saying Rabastan and Rodolphus are dead?" Harry nodded. "Lucius has been taken care off too. That means we've taken out three Death Eaters." She looked at the trio and heaved a sigh as her eyes fixed on Ginny as she remembered the state her father was in upstairs. "When was the last time you saw anybody?"

"When we got here," Harry said. "I think I saw Fred and George earlier, in the gardens. They were fighting three or four guys in hoods. I don't know what happened to them. Charlie went upstairs." Andromeda felt her heart skip a beat. She had not heard or seen anyone else upstairs but she told herself the manor was big and Charlie could very well have been somewhere else. "Percy went with Mr Weasley."

"They must have gotten separated," Andromeda mumbled to herself and when Harry looked at her she shook her head. "Where are Neville and Luna?"

"I think they went to the East wing, looking for the Horcruxes," Ginny said softly. "Someone was right on their heels though. It looked like it was Draco."

"So Narcissa is letting her own son fight," Andromeda hissed. "Right, we need to think about what we're doing. The three of you need to stay together. Fleur is weak and she needs help. If you think its too dangerous for her, send her home. We don't know where anyone else is..." Her voice trailed off when a figure appeared in the doorway. The next second a green jet was shot in her direction and Andromeda dropped to the ground. As she collapsed against the wooden floorboards the air was knocked out of her lungs. She rolled over to find Harry, Ginny and Fleur on the ground too. They seemed unhurt. She leapt back to her feet, aimed at the door and cast her spell without looking for her target. "Avada Kedavra!"

Her Killing Curse crashed into one of the walls and several of the large portrait paintings fell down, shattering on impact with the floor. A large hole appeared in the drawing room wall and Andromeda felt the cool wind against her skin. The dust began to clear and her eyes looked around for her opponent and discovered Yaxley standing in the rubble. He brushed dirt of his face and looked up just in time to see her aim her wand.

"Stupefy!" Her red jet crashed into Yaxley's chest and she watched how his body fell down in the pile of rubble.

Andromeda turned to Harry, Ginny and Fleur and began pushing them towards the door. To her horror she realised that Yaxley had not been alone and three more cloaked figures had appeared in the hall. Three separate jets were shot their way and Andromeda cast a strong Shield Charm to protect herself and the others but realised quickly she could not protect the trio as well as fight the three Death Eaters.

"Get out of here!" she cried as another spell was shot her way. She gave Harry one last push and watched as the three people darted past the Death Eaters, through the entrance Hall and out of the Manor. One of the three Death Eaters changed his mind and chased after them and Andromeda could just about see Ginny using a well-aimed Body Bind Curse to knock him down. Her eyes then drifted back to her two new opponents and she cocked her head.

"Two against one," she said dryly. "Very brave."

The Death Eater on the right attempted to hex her with a spell she didn't recognise but she leapt out of his way, spun around on one foot and cast one of her own curses. It hit him on his arm and he dropped his wand as the stick caught fire and blistered his fingers. She couldn't see his face behind the ugly Death Eater mask but it sounded like a man's voice. The second Death Eater now took his aim and the Killing Curse shot her way at high speed.

"Oi, idiot!" someone called from the top of the stairs and three sets of eyes snapped up. Neville and Luna had appeared, both looking unscathed, and Neville sent a quick Stupefy towards the Death Eater that had tried to kill Andromeda. The second one attempted to hex the young wizard and a powerful duel erupted. Spells crashed into the surrounding walls but Neville held his own as he slowly made his way down the stairs, Luna closely behind him, as he fought the Death Eater. Andromeda watched in a mixture of admiration and surprise and reminded herself that once this was all over she would tell Neville that his parents would have been proud of him today.

One of Neville's spells hit the Death Eater square in the chest and his body fell forward, splitting its skill on the bottom step of the stairs. Dark blood began to spill across the marble floor. Neville reached and Andromeda and she put a hand on his arm.

"Well done, Neville," she complimented him. She searched his face. "Any luck?"

"Nothing in the East wing but a bunch of old dusty bedrooms and one angry Death Eater," Neville smiled before pointing at the blonde girl at his side. "Luna lost her wand."

"We'll get it back," Andromeda said. "I've just seen Harry, Ginny and Fleur." Neville's eyes lit up. "They're allright, a little shaken perhaps. They went outside, looking for Hermione. They told me two of the Death Eaters are dead. I've taken care of Lucius Malfoy and…" She pointed back at the drawing room. "Yaxley isn't going anywhere in the foreseeable future either. I suggest we get them all down in the dungeon."

Neville nodded and he and Andromeda used their wands to levitate the two unconscious Death Eaters into the drawing room. They descended down the stone staircase and left the two on the floor. Andromeda went back to get Yaxley and he groaned as she magically moved him across the room. Now there were four Death Eaters locked up in the dungeon and Andromeda took the wands of the three that still had theirs. She gave one to Luna and the other two to Neville.

"Take these. You never know when they might come in useful," she smiled and the young wizard smiled. "Where are you going now?"

"Library, I think," Luna piped up. She looked up at Andromeda. "Isn't it strange that no one has seen Bellatrix and Narcissa?"

Andromeda nodded. The thought had crossed her mind too. "I know. I've been thinking about that myself. Just be careful. Those two know this place better than anyone."

"You sure you're going to be allright?" Neville asked.

"I'll be fine," Andromeda said firmly. "Besides, how many Death Eaters could there possibly be left?"

Neville had no answer to give her and he and Luna ran out of the room. The second they stepped out of the door Andromeda lost sight of them and her eyes wandered around. The drawing room had been destroyed. Most of the paintings had tumbled off the walls, a large gaping hole in the bricks let in the outside wind and the drapes had been torn the shreds. Glass and wood littered the floor. Andromeda heaved a sigh and felt her chest tighten. Her desperate whisper was only heard by the gust of wind that filled the room and ruffled her hair.

"For Merlin's sake, Hermione, where are you?"

~()~

Neville and Luna stepped into the library and allowed their eyes to wander around the room. The two long walls were taken up by rows and rows of ancient books. They rose up from the floor to the ceiling. The shorter wall housed an immense fire place. Several black leather arm chairs and a lounger had been placed by the fire. An expensive looking lamp stood on a small side table and an open book lay in one of the chairs. Black drapes covered the two large floor to ceiling windows and when Neville looked up he spotted an immense crystal chandelier hanging over their heads.

"The Malfoys really must be wealthy," Luna observed. "Most of these books cost a fortune."

"Wealth doesn't mean anything anymore," Neville said solemnly. He glanced at the blonde. "You think the Horcruxes could be here?"

"Maybe we should try and think like You-Know-Who," Luna suggested and Neville furrowed his brow. "I mean, where would you keep something as important as a Horcrux? You wouldn't leave it in plain sight, would you?" Her blue eyes met Neville's and a knowing smile spread across her face. "Or would you?"

"Because no one would think to look in the most obvious place," Neville said and Luna nodded. His eyes came to a rest on the leather arm chairs. "So they could be here."

"How are we going to destroy them if we find them?" Luna said softly as they walked towards the leather arm chairs. Her eye fell on the open book and she grabbed Neville's arm. He looked at it too and they shared a look of surprise. Luna swallowed. "Somehow this doesn't seem like the right place to find a Defence against the Dark Arts spell book."

Neville leant in and inspected the copy of Inspecting the Faceless more closely. His heart beat in his throat as he extended his hand to touch it but Luna grabbed his arm and stopped him. He looked at her. "Why would there be a book from our sixth year in the Malfoy library?"

"I don't know but don't you think it is at least a little strange?" she questioned. "Do you think it's a clue?"

"Or something else altogether," Neville whispered and he drew his wand. He carefully placed it against the cover of the book. "Finite Incantatem."

He and Luna took a step back as the book began to glow before it rose up from the chair and spun around in the air a few times. The glow changed from blue to a golden white and it became so bright that the duo had to shield their eyes. What followed was a soft 'thud' and when Neville removed his hand from his eyes he gasped. The book was gone and had been replaced by what looked like a crown.

"Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem," Luna said as she leant past Neville to pick up it up. "It was believed to be lost for centuries." She turned the diadem around in her hand and showed it to Neville. "Look, it even has the famous quote etched into it. 'Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure.' " She chewed her lip. "But what is it doing here and how did it get here?"

"Who cares?" said an unexpected voice behind them and they spun around, Luna still clutching the diadem. Neville's eyes lit up as he recognised the new arrival.

"We've been looking all over for you! I think we found one of the Horcruxes!"

"You think? I happen to know you actually _did_ find one of them."

Luna's eyes narrowed as the third person strolled into the room, casually twirling their wand through their fingers. There was a certain arrogance to their appearance that she had never observed before. "What's going on? Why are you acting so strange?"

The wand shot up before either of them had time to respond. Luna whimpered something as the diadem slipped from her fingers and landed quietly on the floor. Beside her, Neville's eyes glazed over as his body slumped down. His head bounced off the wooden floor. A mere second later Luna lay beside him, her hand stretched out as if to reach for something no one else could see. Two sets of eyes had lost their shine and their spark of life.

She walked across the room and picked up the diadem. A smile spread across her face as she reduced it to a smaller size and slipped it in her pocket. Without looking back at the two bodies on the library floor she turned around and left the room, locking the door behind her.

~()~

Molly stared out of the kitchen window. She could no longer face gazing at the Weasley clock, with all its arms pointing at 'mortal peril'. Ron's arm was pointing at a void area right above the number twelve. Since his death the arm had not moved. She looked up when she heard shuffling footsteps behind her and looked over her shoulder to find Minerva stepping into the kitchen. The older witch looked more tired than Molly ever remembered seeing her and she sadly smiled.

"They'll be back soon enough," Minerva tried to comfort the Weasley matriarch. She glanced at the clock and felt her chest tighten as one of the arms began to move. She hoped, prayed, that Molly didn't hear the ticking sound it created but it was too late. The red haired woman had heard its familiar sound and turned in horror to watch one of the other arms move upwards towards the same empty space as Ron's arm. A quiet sob escaped her as it came to a stop.

Charlie was dead.

Minerva crossed the kitchen and wrapped her arms around the now crying witch. She was about to whisper words of comfort when a sudden movement outside the window caught her eye. Her arms slipped away from Molly Weasley and the red haired woman looked up the second Minerva bellowed "Get your wand!"

They barely had time to respond. The front door was blown of its hinged and shattered across the kitchen floor. A lone figure emerged in the open door way and their wand aimed at the two witches standing in the kitchen. Bellatrix's raven curls danced around her head as she let out a manic cackle. Her wand flicked so quickly that Molly could not even cry her counter-spell. Her wand was blown from her hand and landed on the other side of the room. A second flick followed and the power of the spell sent Molly down the floor. She banged her head on the kitchen counter and a fine trail of blood seeped from her nose as she fell down, unconscious.

"What do you want, Bellatrix?" Minerva demanded. Her voice was still shaky and she brandished her wand though she felt little confident about her skills right in this moment. "Have you come to gloat at our misery?"

"Actually, no, but now that you mention it I hope you don't mind I enjoy the show," Bellatrix smirked and cocked her head. "I'm here to finish what was started."

Minerva straightened her spine. "You've come to kill me."

Bellatrix grinned. "Very good. Looks like they didn't blast your brains out after all then."

"Why now, Bellatrix? Why not back at Hogwarts, when you and your dirty little Death Eater friends had the chance to take everything?" Minerva questioned. "Why wait?"

"Everything in its rightful time," Bellatrix answered and pouted. "Speaking of which, I think your time is up."

Minerva lowered and then dropped her wand. "You're going to kill an unarmed woman? That's low, even for you, Bellatrix."

Bellatrix arched an eyebrow in surprise. "You should know me better than that, Minerva." She grinned. "But, since you're going to die anyway, I think I'll let you in on a little secret." She chuckled. "You want to know something about your precious little Hermione?" Minerva's green eyes widened in horror at the mention of the young witch's name. "She has been playing for the other side all along, Minerva. The night she came back to you, crying, was the night she betrayed each and every single one of you." Bellatrix openly laughed. "All of your friends died because of her."

"You're lying!" Minerva breathed. "Hermione wouldn't…."

"Wouldn't she?" Bellatrix laughed. "So you think she wouldn't Imperius my stupid little niece and sleep with my filthy blood traitor sister because I told her to? You think she got her wand by accident? Do you really believe for one second that ever since she found out the truth about herself she even once considered helping the Order?" Bellatrix smirked in amusement at the pain she saw in Minerva's eyes. "Hermione belongs to me, my dear. She was never yours to begin with!"

"No." Minerva's voice broke and tears glistened in her eyes. "She lied?"

"Every single day." Bellatrix smirked. "She lied into your faces and you fell for it." She giggled and aimed her wand. "Now tell me you don't want to die after what you've just heard. How stupid do you feel for trusting her?" She studied the older witch's face and the sight of pain only added to their enthusiasm. "Goodbye, Minerva." A single second between them allowed for Minerva to see the truth in Bellatrix's eyes. Her words had been no lie. Her heart shattered in her chest as the raven haired Death Eater cried out her spell. "Avada Kedavra!"

When Minerva's heart stopped beating it wasn't because Bellatrix had taken her life. It stopped the second before the curse hit her, the second she realised she had been lied to and everything she believed to be truth had fallen apart. She died inside a mere moment before she died in life. Her soul whispered words of pain and loss as her eyes glazed over. Gone was the pain of betrayal. Gone was everything she had ever known.

Bellatrix watched as Minerva's body fell to the ground, lying beside Molly Weasley. For a moment she contemplated killing the other witch too and her wand hovered in the air, but she was reminded there had been only one reason she had come here today and she turned on her heels. The sound of her boots echoed off the wooden kitchen floor as she disappeared out into the sun. She turned on the spot and left behind a scene that spelled out truth and lies.

It had truly begun.


	23. The Serpent Spell

**A/N:** Over 300 reviews! You guys are seriously amazing. Thank you so much. ~Cissy

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**Chapter 23**

"**The Serpent Spell"**

Malfoy Manor lay in ruins. Fires burnt behind broken windows and the flames ate away at the crumbling walls as black smoke circled up into the air. Shards of glass and splinters of wood littered the floors and the grounds outside. Water poured from the broken fountain. The statues had been reduced to dusty piles of marble. Paintings had been torn to shreds, the faces of the ancient Malfoys destroyed in scenes of hatred and desperation to survive. A strange, eerie silence had fallen over the battle ground and Andromeda stood in what was left of the entrance hall. The doors had been blown of their hinges and one of the crystal chandeliers lay in thousands of pieces at her feet.

Blood seeped from a cut on her cheek and blisters covered her hands and arms. Her robes were torn and dust and dirt had settled in her tangled brown curls. Tired eyes searched her surroundings. The silence unsettled her. She could hear her own heartbeat in her chest and her injured fingers closed a little tighter around her wand. The sound of glass breaking made her spin around and her breath died in the back of her throat when she recognised the dark clad figure appearing in the destroyed doorway.

Bellatrix stood tall and proud, her face glowing with pride, and she stared at the other woman. Behind her the smoke and the strange display of golden sunlight created a strange gloom around her and Andromeda for a moment thought that her sister looked like a demon that had been sent straight from Hell itself. She did not hesitate and her wand shot up as she defended herself against the violent Killing Curse Bellatrix sent her way. A cold shiver crept down her spine as her sister cackled.

"You have chosen a good day to die, my dear sister," Bellatrix laughed as she continued to fire hex after hex at Andromeda. There was a hint of surprise in her eyes as Andromeda blocked every single spell and even managed to divert a few so that they were send back towards Bellatrix. The raven haired Death Eater had to move swiftly to avoid being hit by her own curses.

"So have you," Andromeda answered and moved backwards towards the drawing room. The doors were wide open, only partially attached to the frame, and a blazing fire raged inside. The walls had crumbled and large gaping holes had appeared in the dark brick. The windows had been blown to pieces and sharp pieces of glass littered the hard wooden floor. She felt the heat of the flames against her skin and Andromeda's eyes darted around as she tried to determine whether it was even remotely possible to battle her sister in this very room.

"Where is the rest of your pathetic little group?" Bellatrix chuckled as Andromeda dodged a bright red jet that was sent her way. She stepped on the inside of her torn robes and almost lost her footing. Extending her arms in a search for balance she was briefly caught off guard and Bellatrix took her chance, firing another Killing Curse. Instead of defending herself, Andromeda dropped to the floor, rolled to her left and leapt back up. In her spin she took aim and her wand slashed through the air before a purple hex shot towards Bellatrix.

Truth was that Andromeda didn't know where the others were. She had not seen Neville and Luna since they went to the library to look for the Horcruxes. She had not seen Harry, Ginny and Fleur after they had left the drawing room and disappeared outside. She had wanted to go upstairs and check on Arthur but had encountered two Death Eaters half way up the stairs. One had fallen right there, dead. The second had been thrown so far backwards by one of her counter spells that she suspected his limp body to be lying outside somewhere. But the thought of not knowing where her friends and loved ones were frightened her. She hadn't seen Tonks either and her heart ached for her daughter.

"Where is Hermione?" Andromeda demanded as she brushed some of blood from her face. She straightened her spine and stared at her sister. She didn't take her eyes of the other woman as they circled around the room, surrounded by flames and debris. "What have you done to her, Bellatrix?"

Bellatrix laughed. "Worried, are we?" She cocked her head. "Don't you worry your pretty little mind, sister dear. Hermione will be along soon enough." Her smile spread as Andromeda's eyes narrowed. "What, you didn't actually believe that she was on your side, did you?"

Before Andromeda could answer the sound of footsteps betrayed the arrival of another person. Two sets of eyes flashed towards the door and Andromeda felt her heart sink when she recognised Narcissa. She had not seen her youngest sister throughout the battle but dust clung to Narcissa's expensive robes and her blonde hair had freed itself from the bun in her neck, giving her a strangely angelic appearance.

"Did you find them?" Bellatrix demanded and Narcissa nodded.

Only then did Andromeda realise that Narcissa was not alone. She was accompanied by a small group of Death Eaters, all wearing their masks. Her heart froze in her chest when she realized four of them were carrying bodies in their arms. She wanted to drop to her knees when she recognised them. She wanted to scream and cry and feel the violent pain of the tears against her burning skin. But she couldn't. There were no tears in her eyes.

"You lose," Bellatrix said as she turned away from Andromeda and walked towards Narcissa. Her arm snaked around the blonde witch's waist and she softly kissed the side of her neck before circling the four Death Eaters clutching the motionless bodies. She flicked her wand the first body rose up into the air and hung there, almost ghost like, for a few seconds before floating over the raging flames towards Andromeda and falling not far from her feet. A soft cry escaped her.

It was Charlie. Blood covered the side of his head, sticking to his hair, and there were deep gashes across his skin. Blood had stained his clothes and Andromeda suspected he had suffered the same fate as his father but worse. She swallowed hard as she felt the bile rise in the back of her throat. She tried not to think about Molly's torment over losing another son.

"You see what happens when you fight a battle that is way beyond your control?" Bellatrix mocked her and Andromeda's eyes snapped up, blazing. "People die, Andy. If you had just stayed at home, he would have been alive." She gestured towards the other three bodies and the amusement in her voice only increased. "They would all have been alive."

She flicked her wand again and the second body came floating towards her. Their pale face was lit up by the glowing flames and in her chest Andromeda could feel her heart break. Fleur's limp and lifeless body landed next to Charlie. She looked almost peaceful, with only a large bruise across her cheek, and messed up hair. Her shirt was torn and her nails had broken but as Andromeda studied her face she believed that the French witch could simply be sleeping. Desperately her eyes fixed on the young woman's chest but it did not rise or fall. She was dead.

"God, no," Andromeda whispered when Bellatrix wand flicked again and not one but two bodies rose up into the air and moved towards her. She recognised them before they landed at her feet. Luna's blonde hair cupped her face in a manner that gave her a childlike appearance. She seemed so much younger beyond her years. Her hand lay stretched out towards that of her companion in death. Neville's face looked gaunt and drained from its colour, like the last sight he had seen in life had taken everything away from him.

"Bring me the others!" Bellatrix demanded and the two Death Eaters in the back of the group stepped out of the drawing room for a few moments before coming back in, dragging something behind them. The sound of chains made Andromeda look away from her four dead friends on the floor and her eyes widened in horror at the sight of Harry, Ginny, Fred, George, Bill and Tonks in shackles. Harry led the group further into the room. His face was covered in dust and dirt and he had lost his glasses. His lip was split and his right eye beaten shut. Ginny looked like she was about to collapse, her body trembled and shook and every step appeared to be an efforts. There were bright red tear marks on her cheeks. Fred and George walked with their heads bent as if in shame. Silent tears streamed down Bill's face as his eyes fixed on the lifeless body of his wife on the ground. Only Tonks met her mother's gaze. Her bright bubble gum hair had changed into a dull shade of brown.

"We found the old man upstairs but he isn't going to live if we move him," said one of the Death Eaters. Bellatrix spun around.

"Do I look like I care if he lives or dies?" she shrieked and the Death Eater jumped. "GET HIM!"

Narcissa walked further into the drawing room, flicking her wand smoothly so that the flames around them kept their distance before forming a large circle around them. Blue eyes searched her older sister's face. "You see?" she whispered as she let her hand trail across Andromeda's cheek. "You lose, Andy. Surely you must have known you were never going to win." She gestured towards the chained up people and the bodies on the floor. "This is only the beginning."

"Where is Hermione?" Harry had spoken as loudly as he could and the sound of his voice made Narcissa turn around, an amused smile playing across her lips. "What have you done to her?"

"What have we done to her?" Narcissa mused. "You might want to rephrase that question, Mr Potter. What has she done to _you_?" Harry's eyes widened but Narcissa turned away from him and pointed to one of the Death Eaters. "You! Get down to the dungeon and bring back anyone who is still alive." He nodded and moved past her.

"Are they listening to you now?" Andromeda suddenly said and Narcissa looked up. For a brief moment Andromeda was reminded that, no matter how little they looked alike, they were still sisters. For that one second she recognised herself in Narcissa's eyes, like she knew Narcissa would in hers. "Since when do Death Eaters take orders from you? I thought they were loyal to the Dark Lord."

Narcissa brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and smirked. "He will recognise his own defeat in due time."

"Enough with the talk, Cissy," Bellatrix whispered as she circled her sister and looked at Andromeda. She poked the tip of her wand in Andromeda's neck and watched her flinch as it began to burn her flesh. The pain would be excruciating. "Let's finish what we started."

"We can't. Not unless we know they have all been destroyed," Narcissa reminded Bellatrix and the raven haired witch pouted before removing her wand. A large blister had appeared on Andromeda's neck and she heaved as she pain spread through her body.

She had only a second to move and her wand erupted in an aray of spells. One hit Bellatrix in her back and she fell forward, collapsing against the floor. Narcissa jumped to her left, spun around on the tip of her toes and cast a quick spell towards her sister. Around her the other Death Eaters drew their wands.

"NO!" Bellatrix cried. She had leapt back to her feet and with one simple flick of her wand all the Death Eaters lost theirs. They landed at their feet and she stared at them, hazel eyes blazing. Several of them moved backwards at the anger that spread across Bellatrix's face. They knew how dangerous and unpredictable she could be. Raven curls danced around her head. "She is ours. If any of you as much as cast a single spell, you will regret the day you were born!"

She spun back around to face Andromeda and watched how Narcissa attempted to stun their sister but failed. The magic that held back the flames dissolved and the fire moved towards them, eating away vigorously at the floorboards and the surrounding walls. The drapes had caught fire and flames were beginning to eat away at the ceiling. Bellatrix lined herself up with Narcissa, knowing that Andromeda could not move backwards much further.

"Avada Kedavra!" she shouted and the green jet bounced off her sister's counter spell. The two bright coloured jets exploded in the mid-air, leaving the room shaking. "Crucio! Avada Kedavra! Impedimenta! AVADA KEDAVRA!" The combination of spells left her wand in rapid procession and Andromeda moved sideways, almost using her wand like a sort as she produced a gold coloured barrier that wrapped itself around her like a chain. The spells bounced off it, much to Bellatrix surprise, and when she flicked her wand again the golden wires began to move towards her sisters and one wrapped itself around Narcissa's ankle, trapping her.

"Relashio!" Bellatrix cried and the chain snapped away from Narcissa's foot and the blonde witch stumbled backwards. Her charcoal eyes fixed on Andromeda. "Crucio!"

Andromeda's knees buckled and she collapsed to the floor before curling up into a ball. Her body seized and jerked involuntarily and the tears began to stream down her face. Her mind was filled with images she didn't want to remember and when her eyes snapped open she stared up into the face of her sister, her tormenter. Bellatrix hovered over Andromeda and withdrew her wand. The pain stopped and she lay panting for a few more seconds before scrambling to her feet. She clutched her wand and her hand trembled as she took her aim.

"Expelliarmus!"

The wand flew from her fingers across the room and landed neatly in the open palm of another person. The next moment the room filled with a bright red gloom as the magic rose up. Fiery robes sprung from the burning red globe and wrapped themselves around Andromeda's waist, binding her to her place. The pressure of the magic as it mounted almost burst their eardrums and in the brightness of the burning red ball Andromeda tried to see what had happened. Slowly the blazing glow began to disappear until only its fiery chains remained and a lone figure stood in the drawing room doorway.

"Hermione!" Andromeda's voice was hoarse and the tears continued to stream down her face. She attempted to free herself from the fiery rains but whenever she moved, they tightened further. "Hermione, what are you doing?"

"Silence!" Hermione barked and Andromeda's words died out. She slowly crossed the room towards Bellatrix and the raven haired Death Eater tenderly brushed a strand of hair out of the brunette's face before meeting her lips. Narcissa moved closer, letting an arm slide around Hermione's waist before kissing her neck. The display was twisted and yet strangely affectionate but most of all it spelled out the betrayal. Andromeda's heart broke in her chest and all the pain poured itself out into one outcry of devastation.

"NO!"

One word contained all the pain and all the heartache. Andromeda's eyes had filled with tears and she stared at the brunette wrapped up in her sisters' arms. It was as if a cold hand reached deep inside her chest and ripped out her heart, tore it to shreds before her eyes and left it on the ground in front of her for her to watch it bleed to a slow and painful death. Every cell in her body ached and crumbled. Every thought, every wish was destroyed until only pain remained.

Hermione slowly turned towards Andromeda. Her eyes were empty, void of emotion. She was unhurt. Dust covered her clothes but there was not a cut or graze on her. Her face was pale and her thick curls fell down her shoulders in almost a similar manner like Bellatrix's. She broke away from the two other witch's holding her and moved through the flames towards Andromeda. With a flick of her wand the older woman's knees buckled and she dropped to the floor, her arms forced behind her back. She lifted up her chin and Hermione cocked her head as she studied the pain riddled face.

"Love, hate, betrayal," she whispered softly as she went to brush a strand of hair out of Andromeda's face. The older witch jerked away from her touch. "Three such simple words but a meaning that goes beyond anything I have ever seen. So simple and yet so efficient." She paused, her fingertips still resting against Andromeda's cheek. "So beautiful and so final."

She straightened her spine and turned away from Andromeda. Slowly she walked across the room until she reached Tonks. The tip of her wand trailed down the Auror's arm and she whispered something nobody else could hear. A smirk spread across her face as she watched the horror fill the young woman's eyes. "Tell her how it really happened that night. Tell her how I made you lie to her."

"Mum," Tonks whispered. Her voice was broken, filled with tears and regret. Her eyes darted from Andromeda to Hermione as she began to understand what had happened to her, to them. "You placed the Imperius Curse on me." Devastation filled her eyes. "You lied to me."

"No, you lied to all of them," Hermione said simply and glanced back at Andromeda. "Do you remember what happened that night in the castle?"

"She had her wand." Tonks' voice was soft as the memories flooded back into her mind. Andromeda's eyes fixed on her daughter and could physically feel her pain. Tonks' looked at Hermione. "You were standing at the top of the stairs as I was fighting Dolohov. I asked you how you got it and you told me not to ask questions I wasn't ready to her the answer to." Her voice shook. "You knocked me unconscious."

"I should have believed you," Andromeda whispered and attempted to free one of her arms so she could at least try and touch her daughter but she couldn't move. Hermione watched, the corners of her mouth curling up into a devious smile as Andromeda settled in her fate. "You were so sure of yourself. How did I ever doubt that you spoke the truth. You're an Auror no less. How did I ever believe her lies over your truth?"

"I forgive you, mum. She Imperiused me," Tonks said as she looked back at Hermione. "You made me lie to everyone."

"I couldn't have you going round telling everyone I wasn't exactly doing what the Order wanted me to, now could I?" Hermione shrugged and looked at Bellatrix. Their gazes locked and she reached for something in the pocket of her jeans. She took out a small black bag and with a simple flick it changed back to its normal size. She threw it at Bellatrix and the dark haired witch caught it. "It is done."

Bellatrix opened the small black pouch, stuck her hand inside and took out two objects. The first was a silver diadem studded with gemstones. It was blackened around the edges and in the middle the frame had broken. From where she was sitting Andromeda could see the thick Basilisk fang sticking out of it. The Horcrux had been destroyed. Bellatrix handed the diadem to Narcissa, who turned it over in her hand, before taking out another item. It was a small golden cup with two finely wrought handles and a badger engraved on the side. A basilisk fang had pierced the bottom of the cup, leaving it blackened and split nearly in two.

Hermione turned to Harry. His face had changed into a mask of horror. "How many does that make?" she whispered as she pointed at the items Bellatrix and Narcissa were holding. "How many have been destroyed?"

He didn't want to answer her and turned his head away. Hermione felt her blood boil in her veins and walked towards him. Her hand slapped across his cheek before she grabbed a fistful of hair and she jerked his head back. Piercing hazel eyes met bright green. She saw the loathing in his eyes. How he despised and hated her. The feeling was mutual. "How many?"

"Five," he breathed reluctantly. He flinched as she gave another rough jerk at his hair. Pain flashed behind his eyes. "The diary, the ring, the locket, the cup and the diadem."

"How many are there?" she demanded. Her face had changed into a mask of hatred. "Come on, Potter, I haven't got all day. How many are there?"

"Don't tell her, Harry," Ginny whispered and Hermione's head snapped in her direction. She let go of Harry and walked towards the girl she had once considered a friend. She placed the tip of her wand against Ginny's neck and watched in twisted amusement as the younger witch's eyes fell shut, fearing the prospect of death.

"If you don't tell me, she dies," Hermione said sharply and Bellatrix chuckled softly. "The choice is yours."

"Six. There are six," Harry whispered and his green eyes pleaded with Hermione to lower her wand. "Please, don't hurt her. I'll tell you." He held his breath as Hermione lowered her wand and Ginny let out a quiet sob. "It's the snake. The snake is the last one."

"How can you be so certain?" Hermione asked and her eyes darted towards Bellatrix. She knew the raven haired woman knew the serpent that accompanied the Dark Lord well. It usually wound itself around his chair during meetings and she had been told it was one of a kind, with an intelligent mind of its own and far more dangerous than any other snake ever encountered by man. "How do you know the snake's the last one?"

"I've seen it," Harry whispered and Hermione studied his face.

"Seen it?" Bellatrix laughed and the sound of her cackle echoed off the crumbling walls. The flames around them only grew larger. Soon the fire would consume them all. "What, like in the Dark Lord's mind? Come off it, Potter!"

"Wait!" Hermione raised her hand to silence her lover. "Potter speaks the truth. I have seen it. If he says the snake is the last remaining Horcrux, then I believe him." She turned around to look at Bellatrix and Narcissa. "You know what to do."

"What are we going to do with them?" Narcissa pointed at the shackled Order members. "Are we keeping them?"

Hermione seemed to think about that question for a little while. "They pose no threat to us any longer." She turned to look at Andromeda and slowly crossed the room until she reached her. She knelt down in front of her and cupped the older woman's cheek with her hand. "How does it feel to suffer from a heart so broken it may never heal?"

Andromeda's eyes locked with Hermione's and she searched for the girl she had fallen in love with, the one who had stirred something so deep inside her soul she had dared to believe in love once more. It was gone. All that remained was the stinking scent of betrayal and the rotting feeling of hatred. "Rather a broken heart than no heart at all."

"You can stay with me," Hermione whispered and behind her Bellatrix's eyes widened in anger. Blazing fire ignited deep into her darkened soul as she heard her lover whisper words of kindness to her sister. "Stay with me and we will never be apart again. I have a place for you at my side. We can be so much more, together. You can be part of it all."

"How dare you…" Bellatrix began but Hermione merely glared at her and she fell silent. The pressure of magic boiling underneath the surface only increased when Narcissa wrapped her arms around Bellatrix's waist and rested her head on her sister's shoulder. Soft lips caressed burning flesh.

Andromeda swallowed hard and her voice abandoned any emotion. "I'd rather die than be with you."

"Have it your way," Hermione shrugged and stood up. She looked at the other Death Eaters. "Send them back to that dump they call Headquarters. Let them bury their dead." She straightened her spine. "By nightfall the Dark Lord will have learnt of the destruction of his soul, with only one fragment remaining between him and total ruin." Her hazel eyes searched for Harry. "Make sure to keep an eye on Potter. We're going to need him in the future." She watched his face harden. "And he will help us. If he doesn't, he gets to watch his little friends die. One by one." Her eyes found Ginny. "Starting with that one."

"You're letting them go?" Narcissa questioned in surprise.

Hermione laughed. "Go? Cissy, my love, they are never going to be free again. They all belong to us now. They value the lives of their friends too much to deny us." She looked at Andromeda. "It is a flaw in the weak. They care too much."

"Take them back," Bellatrix barked at some of the Death Eaters and two of the masked men pulled at the chains and shackles that bound the Order members together. Hermione flicked her wand and Andromeda regained the control over her body. She rose up until she stood firmly on her feet and Hermione watched her. Something lingered between. Something words could not begin to express. The emotions seeped away from them; love left their bodies and was replaced by a dark emptiness that left both of them void of any feelings at all.

"We will meet again," Hermione said as she moved closer to Andromeda. "This is not goodbye."

"Yes it is," Andromeda said as her dark eyes locked with Hermione's lighter orbs. Unexpectedly she leant in and her lips merely brushed against Hermione's. Her lips tasted of tears. She pulled away before the pain became too much and one of the Death Eaters grabbed a tight hold of her arm before he dragged her towards the group bound in chains. Andromeda willingly went with him and Hermione watched, surrounded by flames, as Andromeda allowed her wrists and ankles to be cuffed.

"Goodbye, Hermione."


	24. Aeternum Vale

**Chapter 24**

"**Aeternum vale"**

They appeared outside the Burrow, accompanied by the Death Eaters. Darkness had begun to fall and the sun was setting behind the horizon, painting the skies in shades of fiery red and glooming orange. The wind rustled the cornfields around them and Andromeda felt her heart sink in her chest when she realised the Burrow's front door had been blown of its hinges. She turned her head when one of the masked Death Eaters appeared at her side, poking his wand into her shoulder. She felt it burn through her robes and blister her skin.

"Oi!" barked one of the other Death Eaters and he slapped his arm away. "You heard Bellatrix. Set them free!"

"Bellatrix has lost her mind!" growled the first masked wizard and the hint of disapproval laced his words. "Why would we let them go? It's the Order of the Phoenix, for Merlin's sake. You know how much trouble they have caused?"

"Look at them," snorted the second man and the first guy glanced at the group still in chains. Ginny was crying quietly. Fred and George stared blankly into space. "Do they look like they are going to be causing any trouble?" He extended his hand towards the Burrow. "What lies between those walls will bring them down even further. They will no longer be a concern to anyone, not least to the Dark Lord."

"Could you two continue this little domestic dispute somewhere else?" Andromeda said sharply. "And if you insist on doing it here, then at least have the good grace to let us free first so we can remove ourselves from this sad little performance."

"Shut your mouth, you filthy traitor!" snarled the second Death Eater and he slapped Andromeda across her cheek with the end of his wand. Andromeda's head jolted backwards and a fine line of blood seeped from her nose. He stepped away from her, flicked his wand and the shackles dropped from the prisoners' ankles and wrists before dissolving into thin air. He looked at his comrades, gave a quick hand signal and the cloaked figures Dissaparated into the falling darkness.

"Mum!" Tonks wrapped her arms around her mother and cupped her cheek. Worried eyes searched Andromeda's face. "Are you allright?"

"I'll live," Andromeda groaned and supported herself on her daughter's shoulders. "Are you OK?"

"I'll be fine," Tonks reassured her and she looked around at the others. They looked defeated and broken and she was worried about Ginny. The spark in her eyes had died and she had dropped to the floor beside her father's weak and limp body. Tonks wasn't sure they could do anything for him, She looked back at her mother. "What do you think they meant about what's inside?"

"I don't know but whatever it is, it can't be good," Andromeda said quietly. "The door has been blown away. Someone was here after we left." She swallowed hard as the most horrific thought crept into her mind and she forced herself to still her racing heart. "We left Molly and Minerva behind."

"You think someone hurt them?"

"I don't think it," Andromeda said firmly and squared her jaw. "I know it."

She let go of her daughter and began walking towards the Burrow. Every step hurt. The battle had scarred her. The closer she came to the house, the weaker she felt. The fear crept into her chest, strangling her heart. She drew her wand, though she did not expect a reason to need it. Her eyes fluttered shut as she hesitated for a brief moment outside what was left of the front door. It was dark inside and when she stepped inside her eyes filled with tears.

"No!" Her voice was but a quiet whisper. Her eyes adapted to their dimly lit surroundings and she stumbled down onto her knees beside Minerva's lifeless body. She grabbed hold of her friends' robes and she searched desperately for a pulse but felt nothing. Tears streamed down her cheeks and dripped down onto Minerva's face. She looked almost peaceful, like she was sleeping.

"Mum?" Tonks had appeared in the doorway, shielding Harry and Ginny from the sight inside the kitchen.

"She's gone," Andromeda whispered. "Minerva's dead."

"Merlin…" Tonks' voice died out. "What about Molly?"

Andromeda crawled across the kitchen floor towards the other witch's body. She lay slumped down against the kitchen cupboards, her chin resting against her chest. A small pool of blood had formed on her dress but when Andromeda touched her, her head snapped up and weary brown eyes darted around the kitchen, fear written across her face. Andromeda enveloped the red haired woman in her arms and rocked her gently as they both cried.

Tonks and Bill carried Arthur into the house, through what was left of the kitchen and into the living room. There they lay him down on the sofa and a soft groan escaped him. Tonks knelt down beside him, drawing figures across his chest in an attempt to heal him. He had lost a lot of blood and needed the skills of a Healer, not an Auror. Andromeda had done the best she could back at the Manor and Tonks didn't know how much she could still do for him.

Harry, Ginny, Fred and George sat down on the kitchen floor, not far from Minerva's body. Harry had wrapped his arms around Ginny and her head rested on his shoulder. Fred and George sat close together, desperate for warmth and a sense of hope. Andromeda looked up from where she was sitting and recognised their forlorn expressions. Everything was gone. Everything they had believed in, everything they had fought for and everything they had been so desperately trying to protect.

Tonks walked back into the kitchen and sat down beside her mother. For a little while no one spoke.

"What happened to Hermione?"

The sound of Ginny's voice roused Andromeda from her thoughts and she looked up. Her face expressed her pain and her answer was simple yet filled with poison. "Bellatrix happened."

Tonks brushed a strand out of hair out of her eyes. "Has she been siding with Bellatrix for all this time?" She slowly looked back up and glanced at her mother. "Remus and the others were right, even in the beginning, weren't they? They didn't believe her when she first came back to us." She covered her eyes with her hands. "And Bellatrix had them all killed. God, why didn't we see it? WHY didn't we _fucking _see it?"

"It's too late to ask questions about the past," Andromeda said softly. "We can blame ourselves for what happened but it isn't going to solve anything. Hermione lied to us." The words hurt as they fell from her lips and she glanced at Molly beside her. "All of this happened because of her. Because we wanted to believe her. Because I fell in love and failed to see what lived underneath that mask." She shook her head. "If anyone is to blame, it's me. I gave her everything she wanted and she took everything away from us."

"She killed Ron that night at Malfoy Manor because she wanted to, not because the wand made it happen," Harry spat and Ginny sat up, startled by his anger.

"Bellatrix saw her anger and used it for her own gain. It was too good to be true for her to find Hermione had walked right onto her path. They must have suspected she held the Third Core. Their paths had crossed before. Knowing Bellatrix, she was looking for a way to get to Hermione but instead Hermione came to her. In all her anger and all her pain, she became a perfect victim. Bellatrix saw her wounds and she took her chance." Andromeda rested her head in her hands. "Hermione never fought back, probably because she didn't want to."

"You think she loves her?" Tonks asked in disgust. "She actually loves them?"

"I think she loves both of them," Andromeda answered softly. "I was foolish and let myself be deceived. I believed she loved me."

"We all did." Harry looked at Andromeda. "Don't blame yourself, Andy."

"What are we going to do?" Tonks whispered and looked at her mother. She had never felt more lost in her life. "Everything is gone."

Andromeda looked around the kitchen. They were all lost, they were all broken. This was all they had left. All they had was each other. She swallowed hard as she realised there was nobody left to lead them. Remus and Kingsley had taken over from Albus Dumbledore and after their deaths Minerva had taken over. If they were to survive they needed someone who still believed in them, someone who could give them back a fragment of hope. She pushed herself up from the floor and straightened her spine.

"We'll bury our dead. There is a small cemetery on the outskirts of the village that is no longer in use. They can rest in peace there." Her dark brown eyes drifted around the kitchen, fixing on the devastated faces of her friends. "We cannot wait till dawn. I don't know what Bellatrix and Hermione are planning but whatever it is, it will happen soon. Let's take the dead and bury them before the moon rises in the sky."

"Where do we go after that?" Harry questioned. "Nowhere else is safe. Hogwarts has already fallen into Voldemort's hands."

Andromeda's eyes lit up. "That's it!"

"What do you mean?" Harry frowned.

"Voldemort!" Andromeda said and a weak smile crept across her lips. "Bellatrix, Hermione and Narcissa are not siding with Voldemort anymore. I am not even sure they ever were! He wasn't there today, was he? He wasn't there the night they attacked Hogwarts. Think, Harry! Why would Hermione be looking for the Horcruxes if she is part of the Death Eaters?"

"Because she is trying to destroy him!" Harry climbed to his feet as the realisation hit him. Green eyes were suddenly alive with fire and determination. "She isn't part of Voldemort! She is trying to bring him down!"

"And now she knows where to find that last Horcrux before she can destroy it. Destroying the snake means Voldemort is no longer immortal. If he dies, the world will fall victim to the Three Cores," Andromeda said and her eyes drifted off to the window. Darkness fell quickly and the moon would soon be high in the sky. "I am not sure which is worse. Voldemort or the Three Cores."

Harry looked at Ginny and his features hardened. "Then we had better make sure neither of those ever happens."

~()~

By the time the moon had risen to its highest point in the sky, Malfoy Manor had burnt down to the ground. All that remained were the smouldering ashes and glowing embers of what was once a glorious mansion. Its inhabitants had fled long before the flames destroyed those proud walls but those who had fallen during the battle had found their grave in the ruins. Their bodies would never be found, reduced to ashes.

Hermione arched her back as she felt the delicate fingers on the inside of her thighs. Her heart pounded against her ribcage. Raven ringlets caressed her face as warm ruby lips kissed the side of her neck. Bellatrix's breath was arm against her flesh and her nipples hardened under the older woman's touch. A soft groan escaped her as she felt Narcissa's fingers slide towards her damp core and cried out when the blonde witch entered her. She lay at Hermione's other side, her lips sucking down on the pulsating vein in her neck. Her left hand trailed over Bellatrix's as they caressed the swell of Hermione's breasts.

"To victory," Narcissa whispered as she leant in to kiss Hermione. She increased her steady thrusts and watched with lust filled blue eyes as the brunette's body eagerly responded. Bellatrix's hands continued to explore and caress Hermione's chest, cupping her breasts and grazing across her nipples. A fine layer of sweat covered Hermione's glowing skin and she turned her head from left to right to kiss the other women.

She felt her climax in the pit of her core, spreading through every muscle in her body, tingling as it crept up her spine. The back of her throat became dry as her toes curled up. She flexed her hands across the silk sheets that covered the bed and lifted herself up as the orgasm hit her. She shuddered as Narcissa continued her ministrations and Bellatrix's warm lips closed around her nipples. The cry that escaped her throat was raw and almost primal and she collapsed against the pillows, panting.

Candles illuminated the large Victorian style bedroom, just one of many that were part of the Black family home on the outskirts of London. Located in Hampstead, the house was a large detached property hidden from Muggle view by every form of magic imaginable. A long, winding drive led to a magnificently build mansion, its windows lit up by hundreds of candles. No one had lived here for a long time but now it was set to become their shelter.

Narcissa withdrew her hand from between Hermione's thighs and drew small circles across the brunette's stomach as Bellatrix rested her head against her shoulder. The sheets only partially covered their naked bodies, exposing their finely shaped breasts. Their robes lay in a messy pile on the floor, forgotten. Hermione placed a soft kiss on Bellatrix's cheek and let her hand wander up across the raven haired witch's stomach before encountering the swell of her breasts. She watched how black eyes darkened with desire and she leant in, letting hot lips brush against the ones that craved her touch. The tip of her tongue trailed the shape of Bellatrix's mouth before dipping down to her neck and eventually her collar bone.

She climbed on top of the older witch and let her mouth journey further south until she encountered hardened nipples. She took one between her lips and let her teeth graze over the swollen knob. Beside her, Narcissa moved closer and Hermione watched in approval as Bellatrix's hands caressed her sister's stomach before sliding down between her thighs. Narcissa's ice blue eyes widened and she groaned in desire as her sister touched her.

Hermione kissed herself a way down Bellatrix's stomach and slid further down her body until she positioned herself between the dark witch's thighs. She could smell her arousal and let her fingers run through soft black curls before dipping into the damp core of her lover. Bellatrix arched her back at the touch and beside her, Narcissa moaned softly when her sister's lips claimed hers. Hermione watched as they exchanged a kiss before placing her own lips against Bellatrix's entrance. The raven haired witch's free hand slipped in Hermione's thick curls and grasped a firm hold of her hair.

Their three bodies moved in perfect unison and the sounds of her lover's lust were music to Hermione's ears. Laced with her sister's soft moans of pleasure it was pure ecstasy. Hermione flicked her tongue over Bellatrix's swollen bundle of nerves, feeling her desire on the tip of her tongue and her lips. Narcissa writhed as she lay beside the two lovers, Bellatrix's fingers twirling between her legs. Her heart pounded against her chest as her body rose from the sheets, exploding in sheer passion and desire. Her orgasm rippled through her veins and her blue eyes fluttered shut as she rode out the waves of the sensation.

When she turned her head she caught the look in her sister's eyes right before she hit her release. Bellatrix's face changed into a mask of pure passion and for a moment charcoal eyes held all the life and all the fire in the world. Her back arched and her nails dug into her sister's side as her fingers tangled tighter in Hermione's hair. A raw, hungry cry rose up from the back of her throat and echoed off the walls. The candle light illuminating their union flickered. Then her body relaxed, beads of sweat shimmering in the valley between her breasts.

Hermione slowly moved upwards along the raven haired witch's body, their breasts touching each other, and Bellatrix's thigh pressing between her legs. Narcissa's feather light fingertips caressed the brunette's spine before reaching the round shape of her behind. She rested herself against Hermione's body, feeling her body heat radiate against her own. Hermione's head rested on Bellatrix's chest as Narcissa's arm draped around her waist. Bellatrix's fingers caressed the young witch's stomach. They lay like this together, destined to be together, in perfect unison.

~()~

The cemetery lay just outside the village. Surrounded by an old stone wall and closed off by a simple metal gate, it had not been used for nearly two decades. Many of the gravestones had been left to be overgrown with grass and weeds. Names had been erased from stone by the hands of nature. Andromeda carefully opened the gate and stepped onto the burial ground, followed by the others. Bill carried Fleur's lifeless body whilst Harry carried Luna. The bodies of Neville and Charlie were supported by magic. All were wrapped up in simple white sheets and Andromeda turned her head away. The vision saddened her.

"Here," she said after she had walked a few more steps. A large willow stood in the back of the cemetery and a large part of the ground had not yet been used. She drew her wand and four shovels appeared. They started digging without anybody touching them and soon four graves had been dug. She swallowed hard. "They can rest side by side."

Andromeda's eyes closed as she drew out the shape of a coffin in the air and four wooden boxed appeared, their lids lying next to them. Bill walked past Andromeda and carefully placed Fleur in the coffin. He resisted folding the sheets away from her face to look at her one last time and turned away. The grief spread across his face and Tonks wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulder. Harry stepped forward and lowered Luna into the second coffin. He whispered something nobody else could hear before walking back to Ginny and wrapping her up in his arms.

Andromeda used her wand to guide the bodies of Charlie and Neville to their final resting places and watched as they landed in their wood coffins. Her breath died in the back of her throat as the lids placed themselves on the coffins. Then each coffin rose uo into air before sinking down into the newly dug graves. Andromeda felt the tears trickle down her face as the graves began to fill themselves with the black soil and soon all that remained were the four small mountains of sand.

"They will never be forgotten," Tonks said softly and she let her arm slide from Bill's shoulders and walked up to the four graves. From the tip of her wand four white marble crosses appeared and they landed on top of the new graves. She took the time to write her friends' names into the midnight sky and the black letters engraved themselves into the white marble. "The dead can take the living from us but they can never take the memories they gave us."

Andromeda heaved a sigh and was reminded of wise words she had once heard spoken. She stared at the four white marble crosses. "How terrible it is to love something death can touch." Her daughter gave her a sideways glance and Andromeda brushed the stray tear from her cheek and turned away from the four graves. She had words to add to that wisdom. Words that came from the very depths of her soul and that echoed through the chambers of her broken heart. "How terrible it is to love at all."

"Come," Tonks said quietly to the others. "We must go. We can't stay here." Her eyes darted around the cemetery. It was peaceful and quiet. A tender breeze rustled the willow branches. She wrapped an protective arm around Bill's shoulders and gently tried to guide him away from his young wife's grave. "It isn't safe out here."

"I think I'd like to stay for a little while," Bill said softly and he looked at Tonks. "If I can?"

"Of course," Andromeda said and put her hand on his arm. She then walked away from him, making sure to usher Fred and George along. The twins' faces had changed into masks of pain and loss. Back at the Burrow their father still fought for his life, with their mother at their side. Two of their brothers had now died in the war and they had watched many of their friends lose their lives in battle. Andromeda couldn't stop the sense of anger that rushed through her as she remembered what Hermione had done to them. She had destroyed them from the inside out. She had torn them to pieces; she had torn _her_ to pieces.

She looked back over her shoulder one last time to see Bill sitting on the ground in front of Fleur's grave, cradling his head in his hands. His shoulders shocked as he cried.

~()~

She gazed out of the darkened bedroom window. Outside laid the beautifully kept gardens with their colourful flowerbeds. Thousands of tiny fireflies floated around, creating a golden chain of light along the winding path that made its way along the grass, past the flowers and towards the large fountain in the middle. Even against the backdrop of the night, with just the moon to illuminate the word, Hermione could see the beauty this place would hold in the light of day.

Black Manor had always been a safe haven. Since the deaths of Cygnus and Druella, nobody had lived here but the place had maintained its impressive beauty through magic. Not a sprinkle of dust could be found even though it had been twenty years since its owners had died and Hermione had felt the tingling sensation of house elf magic since her arrival, telling her that those loyal to the family had stayed behind.

"Father would be proud to know we once again lived within these walls," Bellatrix said softly.

Hermione smiled as she observed the reflection of the raven haired witch approach in the glass. She had wrapped a sheet around her porcelain skinned body and wrapped her arms around Hermione's waist, resting her head on her shoulder. Behind her, Narcissa was still asleep in the bed. One hand was tucked under a pillow, the other lay beside her. Strands of blonde hair had fallen in her eyes.

"I thought you believed your Father to be an idiot?" Hermione questioned, remembering what Bellatrix had said to Andromeda the night they attacked the Burrow.

"I never said he was wise," Bellatrix smiled and kissed Hermione's bare shoulder. "Why are you awake, my love?"

"The mind is restless," Hermione answers. "Out there a different world awakes at dawn. The Order no longer stands in our way and there only remains the snake to be killed." She turned her head so she could look at Bellatrix. "Soon the Dark Lord will stand in our presence and he will have to acknowledge us for what we are, for what we can do."

"By now he must know of our plans," Bellatrix whispered and she extended her left forearm. The black tattoo of the skull with the snake for its tongue had faded from Bellatrix's pale skin and all that remained was an unsightly scar. She followed its length with the index finger from her other hand. "He has severed all ties."

"He must have known before," Hermione mused. "He heard how the others spoke of our actions. He saw what we did, defying the orders he gave us. He knew that our loyalties never lay with him once we discovered the truth about ourselves." She shivered when Bellatrix's fingers caressed the back of her neck. "He fears us."

"And rightfully so." Bellatrix's lips were soft against Hermione's flesh. "By now he knows the Horcruxes to be destroyed. Whether he knows it is us who seek his destruction or Potter, I do not know, but I suspect he awaits our attack. Now that the Manor lies in ruins, there is only one more place for him to go to feel both power and safety."

Hermione turned around and brushed her lips against Bellatrix's. "Hogwarts." She breathed her answer against the other woman's cheek.

"Soon," Bellatrix answered and she took Hermione's hand into her own. "Come back to bed, my love. Let us not worry about troubles that can wait till dawn." She began walking back to the bed, guiding Hermione along with her. She lay herself down beside her sister's sleeping form and watched as Hermione climbed onto the bed too. The young brunette rested her head on the raven haired witch's shoulder and Bellatrix let her fingers run down Hermione's arms.

Hermione remained awake for the rest of the night as her mind filled itself with images of the battle that had taken place earlier that day. She remembered the lifeless faces of those she had once considered her friends. They had become meaningless over time, had been erased from her mind and her heart. All but one face left her untouched and it was when she remembered the feeling of Andromeda's lips against her own that she turned towards Bellatrix to truly remind herself why she was here and what she was about to do.

The memories were of a time long gone. They were the past. A new future awaited her.

* * *

***Translation of chapter title:** Goodbye Forever.


	25. Amantes Sunt Amentes

**A/N:** I am keeping this one a little shorter than usual. I am struggling quite badly with my hay fever and not even my tablets are stopping my eyes from burning, which makes staring at a computer screen rather unpleasant.  
This is another little "in between" piece. Someone pointed out that they liked the idea of the switching POV's between Hermione and Andromeda and it is something that I have grown rather fond of, so here is another one just like it. ~Cissy

* * *

**Chapter 25**

**"Amantes sunt amentes"****  
**

"What are we going to do with Minerva's body?" Tonks asked. She stood beside her mother outside the Burrow. The moon had risen to its highest point in the sky and silver beams of light fell onto the ground around them. Minerva's body lay wrapped up in the white sheets, surrounded by moonlight. Andromeda sighed and looked at her daughter.

"She belongs in the one place where she felt at home," she answered. "We have to take her back to Hogwarts."

"Snape is never going to allow us to bury her body in the grounds," Tonks said softly.

"I didn't say we were going to ask for his permission," Andromeda replied. Her features hardened. "We have to take the castle back." She glanced over her shoulder back at the Burrow. Through the open door she could see the others sit at the kitchen table. Harry had wrapped his arm around Ginny's shoulders as the young redhead rested her head in her hands.

"You want to take Hogwarts?" Tonks stared at her mother in shock. "We barely have enough strength to last another day and you're saying you want another battle?" Her green eyes darkened and she studied her mother's face. "You were never the one to fight. You frowned the day I told you I wanted to become an Auror, fight against the dark forces that surround us. You hated the idea of me duelling and fighting. And now you tell me you want to start another battle? Why?"

"Look around, Nymphadora. We have lost everything that ever meant something to us. Bellatrix and Hermione took away our loved ones, they killed our friends," Andromeda said and felt her stomach turn at the memory of what had happened the night her husband had died. "The castle used to be our only safe haven. We can't allow the Death Eaters to keep it." She swallowed. "There is only Snape and maybe a handful more."

"You're serious aren't you?" Tonks asked in disbelief. "You are willing to send our friends to their deaths?"

"We're going to die either way," Andromeda said coolly and looked down at Minerva's body wrapped up in the sheets. "Death is inevitable."

"But to send them back into battle after what happened today…" Tonks said and shook her head. As she looked at her mother she realised there was nothing she could do to change her mind. She heaved a sigh and turned away. Without speaking she walked back into the Burrow and sat down at the table. Andromeda brushed a stray tear from her cheek. Her daughter was right. She had never been one to believe in fighting. After she had watched from afar what her sisters became she didn't believe in war. But here she was, ready to lead everyone into another battle. She didn't know if they would live but she couldn't wait and do nothing. They had to fight if they wanted to survive.

~()~

The start of dawn came with a beautiful coloured sky. Shades of orange, red and yellow crossed the skies and it promised to be a beautiful day. Nothing about this new dawn betrayed what had happened the day before but as the sun rose over the forgotten cemetery hidden behind a wall, it illuminated the four new marble crosses engraved with the names of those who lay buried underneath the soil. For the world appeared blind but the sun saw all.

Far away from the village surrounded by the green rolling hills, Black Manor too was caressed by the tender rays of morning light. Water poured from the fountain outside and the golden rays touched the skin of the sole person staring at her own reflection on the water's still surface. Hermione had left the house before the sun had climbed out above the horizon, awaiting its arrival, and now watched as her own image grew more powerful before her eyes.

"Your absence has been noticed," spoke a quiet voice behind her and she looked up to find Narcissa walk down the winding path that led through the flower beds. Dressed in simple white robes and her golden hair framing her face she looked like an angel sent down from the Heavens itself. Light blue eyes, beautiful if not for the darkness they masked, searched the young brunette's face. "My sister sent me to look for you."

"I never took you for anybody's servant," Hermione said and a flash of disapproval spread across Narcissa's delicate features. "I merely sought quietness for my thoughts."

"The mind is troubled," Narcissa said as she sat herself down beside Hermione and searched for the younger woman's hand. "Please, do share with me."

Hermione turned her head away. "It is not something I wish to share."

Narcissa leant in and dark pink lips brushed across a soft, warm cheek. "Do not let a troubled mind cloud your judgement, my love." Her left hand dropped down into Hermione's lap and slid down towards her thigh. Dressed in silk black robes that cut down low down towards her chest and sat tightly around her waist, Hermione looked as stunning as the blonde witch. Her breath hitched when she felt the other woman's fingers circle her leg.

"Then what should I use to distract from troubled minds?" she breathed as she turned her head towards Narcissa and their gazes locked. She covered Narcissa's hand with her own, guiding her higher up her thigh. The silk fabric felt smooth underneath their hands. "The satisfying touch of a lover?"

"Perhaps," Narcissa answered, her lips pressing against Hermione's neck. "It is most prudent that the mind remains clear." Slender fingers began peeling up the black silk underneath her hand, revealing the bare legs and eventually the bare thighs that hid underneath. She moved even closer against Hermione and leant in further, the swell of her breasts caressing the brunette's chest. "We must remain focused, my love."

"The Dark Lord has but one place left to go," Hermione whispered. Her heart hammered against her chest as Narcissa's fingers disappeared underneath the satin robes and encountered the simple lace of her underwear. A teasing index finger pulled the obscuring material aside before sliding through the slick dampness between her legs. Hermione shuddered. "He will return to the castle. Only Hogwarts is big enough for him to stage his final battle. He seeks his revenge and his victory. Nowhere else will be more of his taste." Her teeth sank down into her bottom lip when Narcissa's thumb rubbed against her swollen bundle of nerves.

"Oh, I know," Narcissa whispered, using her tongue to draw figures on the side of her lover's neck. She felt her lover's heartbeat under her lips and smiled into the soft caress. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the brunette moan as her fingers slipped deep inside of her. Hermione arched her back, leaning back towards the fountain. They felt the spray of cold water against their skin. "We move at nightfall."

"The castle will fall," Hermione panted, lifting herself up and wrapping her arms around Narcissa's neck. She placed one foot on the side of the fountain and her nails clawed at the back of the other woman's neck. Lust filled hazel eyes met darkened blue and their gazes locked as Narcissa continued her touch. Hermione rested her forehead against Narcissa's and her breath was hot against the blonde witch's skin. Narcissa leant in further and kissed Hermione's lip.

"There shall be glory," she whispered and the tip of her tongue teased the corner of Hermione's mouth. Hermione's muscles tightened as Narcissa continued to touch her and her body moved with increasing urgency. Narcissa increased her rhythm and watched with a satisfied smile how Hermione's eyes rolled back in to her head and a high pitched groan escaped the brunette. Hermione's fingers closed around Narcissa's wrist with an iron grip, keeping the blonde in place. "There shall be victory!"

Hermione rested her trembling body against Narcissa's supportive frame and the blonde brushed a damp curl from the brunette's eyes. She kissed her lips. "We belong together."

Hermione's hazel eyes fluttered open and met piercing blue. The word rolled of her tongue with surprising ease. "Forever."

From behind the glass, the raven haired figure had watched the scene by the fountain unfold. Her emotions varied from dismay to jealousy and a sense of euphoria she couldn't begin to explain. Upon seeing that her sister was settling herself and Hermione fixed her robes back in place, Bellatrix left the mansion and strolled outside into the morning sun. Hermione's brown eyes lit up when she discovered the figure clad in black corset and skirt walking towards them.

"You're awake," she smiled as she stood up and wrapped her arms around the raven haired woman's neck. Then she turned to look back at Narcissa. "And judging from what your sister had just told me, I suspect that you have spoken about our plans while I was out here."

"The Dark Lord favours Hogwarts. There have been rumours amongst the ranks for weeks that he plans to overpower Potter within the castle walls. They spoke of this battle long before our paths crossed," Bellatrix said. "It was Severus' idea. I have no reason to believe they will have strayed from their original plan. The Dark Lord is weakened. Only at Hogwarts can he guarantee himself some comfort."

"There shall be no comfort to be found," Hermione said and her voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. Hazel eyes darkened as she fixed her gaze on the water that poured from the fountain into the basin. "There shall only be death."

"The Order has buried their dead," Bellatrix said and Hermione glanced at her in surprise.

"How do you know?" she questioned. "Did you travel?"

"I am still free to move as I please," Bellatrix answered sharply and gave a curd not towards Narcissa. The blonde acknowledged her glance and bowed her head humbly. "As are we all."

"What are their plans?" Hermione inquired and studied Bellatrix's features. In the soft morning sunlight she looked beautiful. The golden shine brought out the porcelain tones of her skin and illuminated her charcoal eyes. "What has become of them since we sent them away?"

"I expect them to fight." Bellatrix turned herself away from Hermione and began walking back towards the mansion. Hermione abandoned Narcissa by the fountain and rushed after the dark haired witch, taking her arm and forcing her to turn around when she reached her. Bellatrix's face was void of emotions and her eyes seemed hollow and empty.

"Fight? Bella, if you expect them to fight then why didn't we just kill them all last night?" Hermione pleaded. "To leave them out there when you know they can pose a danger…"

Bellatrix snorted. "They do not pose a danger, my love. They merely pose a nuisance. One that we shall deal with in due time. Remember the Dark Lord still expects Potter to come for him though no doubt he searches the shadows for us too." She cocked her head. "Besides, when one wishes to hunt, one requires prey." A devious smile spread across her face. "It is but a game, Hermione. They are the wounded animals who have nowhere to hide and will face certain death. They can run but they can never hide."

Hermione didn't answer and quietly watched Bellatrix as she disappeared back inside the mansion. She looked over her shoulder at Narcissa, who still sat by the fountain, and then followed the older witch inside. Bellatrix stood by the large window overlooking the garden, her eyes fixed on her sister's slender frame as she sat on the basin of the fountain, running her fingers through the cool water.

"I saw you," she said when she sensed Hermione's presence behind her. "I saw you and my sister."

"Like you said, we are all free," Hermione said calmly and Bellatrix turned slowly to face her. Their eyes met. "The three of us belong together, are joined in a fate that goes beyond anything we have ever known. There is no need for boundaries that try to define us in what we are. We should just be what our hearts and souls desire us to become." She stepped forward and drew her wand from inside her sleeve. She rolled it through her fingers as she moved closer to Bellatrix. "We _are _the same heart, Bellatrix."

~()~

"We aren't ready!" George argued after Andromeda explained to them what her plan was. "Dad isn't strong enough to travel and Hogwarts isn't safe. You'll be signing his death sentence."

"And I'll be signing yours if we stay here," Andromeda said sharply. "They will come for us, George. Sooner or later. Maybe not Bellatrix and Hermione but the Death Eaters will come for sure. They want Harry as badly as Bellatrix does. For now we are free but that freedom isn't going to last forever. When they have regrouped and maybe even reinforced the castle, they'll come and find us."

"Andy has a point," Harry said. "Listen, I am not convinced we are strong enough to fight yet. There are barely any of us left but we have no other choice. Voldemort knows the Horcruxes has been destroyed and the Prophecy says that neither can live whilst the other survives. It has to be me who faces him and he will come to Hogwarts. I know he will. I know the way he thinks and he will go back to the one place where he felt safe. And when he does, we'll be ready."

George sat back and quietly admitted his defeat. His brother briefly placed a hand on his shoulder and they shared a look that spoke more than a thousand words. Harry's eyes drifted around the table and came to a rest on Bill. He had only come home early this morning, as the sun rose over the horizon, and the dark rings around his eyes betrayed the lack of sleep and the grief had cut deep lines across his face. He looked only half the man he was before.

"What are we going to do about Snape?" Ginny asked. "He will have put every form of protection imaginable on that castle. He is not just going to let us walk in through the front door."

"Maybe this will help," Harry said and he reached down towards his shoes, rolled up his trouser leg and removed something from inside his sock. When he sat back up he had an unfamiliar looking wand in his hand. Andromeda's eyes widened as Harry looked at her. "I took it off one of the Death Eaters right before they captured us and put it in my sock." He shrugged. "If it belongs to a Death Eater, the magic at Hogwarts might recognise the wand and create a safe passage."

"Brilliant," Andromeda said with a smile. It masked the lack of confidence she felt inside. It masked the grief and the pain and the loss. She looked around the table. "I suggest we all try and get some rest. We don't have much time left before we have to leave and we all need to get our strengths back." She pushed her chair backwards and the others followed suit. Before they could walk off she stopped them and several sets of eyes fixed on her.

"I'm proud of you." The words lingered around in the kitchen for a little while. "I know it's been difficult these last few days but we have done the best we could. We didn't give up then and we will not give up now." She swallowed hard when she felt her daughter's hand search for hers. "Thank you."

They all went their separate ways and Andromeda found herself climbing the stairs to the second floor. She pushed against the door that led to the bedroom where she had spent her last night with Hermione. The bed still stood in the middle of the room, neatly made. The piece of parchment Hermione had left behind still rested against one of the pillows and with a quiet sob Andromeda picked it up and clutched it in her hand.

"Mum?" Tonks poked her head around the half open door and found her mother standing by the bed, her back turned towards her and her head bent. "Are you allright?"

"No, I'm not allright," Andromeda said and the tears welled up in her eyes. "I've had my heart stolen only to see it broken, pulverised before my very eyes. I am left to bleed from a wound I cannot heal and no matter how many times I rinse out my mouth I can still taste the betrayal on my lips!" She spun around and threw the piece of parchment at her daughter. "She destroyed everything!"

"I know," Tonks said softly and crossed the distance between her and her mother. "I'm sorry."

"Not as sorry as I am," Andromeda said and walked to the window. "What am I doing, Nymphadora? I am leading them into another battle only because I believe Voldemort will go back to Hogwarts? I am sending Harry straight to his death."

"Harry has always known this day would come," Tonks said soothingly. "He accepts his fate."

"Do you?" Andromeda retorted and watched her daughter's features soften. Pain emerged in her green eyes. "You lost your husband, Nymphadora. You lost your father. You have watched your friends die at your feet, felt their fading heartbeat under your fingertips. How can you still believe that this is part of fate, part of some kind of twisted destiny?"

"Because it is," Tonks answered. "It was always going to be this way. Harry has known for many years that only he can face Voldemort. We have known for a long time that people we love are taken from us when at war. It is not something we choose to happen, but it does. All we can do is learn from that and use their loss as our strength to keep going. We can't give up now!"

"Was Ollivander's body found back at Malfoy Manor?" Andromeda turned to look at her daughter. "Does anyone know if he was still there when we attacked? Was he still in the dungeon?"

Tonks shook her head. "I don't know. Why do you ask?"

"Because I want to know everything there is to know about the Three Cores," Andromeda said and she chewed her bottom lip. "We know what Hermione told us but I doubt that is enough. There is more to this legend than she told us. There has to be. I want to know exactly what the story tells us before we cross their paths again."

"Why?" Tonks whispered. "Why would you want to know?"

Andromeda swallowed. "Because the next time we see them, I'm convinced they're going to try and kill us all."

* * *

***Translation of chapter title:** Lovers are Lunatics.


	26. Dark Empire

**A/N** I don't know how many of you are aware of this website's witch hunt on M rated stories but over the last few days many stories have been taken down and many more will surely follow. Apparently there is a group of users out there that are going through stories with an M rating and if it breaks any form of rule, it will be deleted without questions asked. Now personally I disagree with this. If any story is found to break the rules, the writer should be given a chance to edit their story instead of having it wiped from the website.  
I know that M rated stories usually contain violence, sexual scenes and other subjects that may not be suitable for a younger audience. Now, I don't think it is this website's responsibility whether or not someone under the age of 16 or 18 reads said stories. If it was, they would have attached some form of age confirmation to accessing M rated stories. My stories occasionally contain sexual scenes but I try to keep the graphics down and enjoy a more poetic and less detailed description myself. Anyway fingers crossed this witch hunt comes to an early end and everybody's work will be spared.

Also, there is a petition online to stop this witch hunt. Please, if you have a minute and value the meaning of free speech and a creative mind, please sign. **/petitions/fanfiction-net-stop-the-destruction-of-fanfiction-net**

* * *

**Chapter 26**

"**Dark Empire"**

Hogwarts lay on top of the cliffs, darkness descending rapidly. Behind the hundreds of windows the golden flames of candles illuminated the darkened glass. Shadows moved between the walls as the students made their way to their dormitories. In the distance rang a bell, a haunting reminder that times had changed here. No longer did the sound of innocent laugher echo through the castle's corridors. Many seats remained empty in the Great Hall. After the first battle many students had not returned. Those of blood that was not pure or those who were simply too frightened to face what lay ahead had not returned.

The faces of teachers had once expressed joy as they taught their students about the mysteries of magic. Now they found themselves confronted by the darker sides, those sides they had always chosen to ignore, and watched with increasing horror as they saw both the fear and lust flickering in their students' eyes. Those who had parents who hid behind the silver Death Eater's masks showed eagerness and willingness to learn. Those who had suffered great losses in recent days fought back tears as both their wands and their hearts were put to the test.

Severus Snape looked out from one of the large windows in the Headmaster's office, overlooking the castle grounds. He had seen the changes in the weather throughout the day and had watched with growing concern as thick black clouds packed together in the Highland skies. By the end of the afternoon, nature released itself upon them and battered the grounds with heavy rain, roaring thunder and lightning. He knew what would come tonight and now that darkness had fallen, he recognised the shadows that began closing in. His Dark Mark burnt against his forearm and he pulled back his sleeve, revealing the black skull on his pale flesh.

"My Lord," he spoke to the emptiness of his office before turning around. His black robes billowed behind them as he stalked out of the office he had claimed through violence, leaving a silence in his wake. He started descending down the spiral staircase and when he reached the corridor Severus walked to the nearest window. A bright flash of lightning briefly lit up the grounds and he recognised the shapes of dark cloaks and masks. They were here. It had begun.

~()~

"Andy!"

She leapt to her feet when the front door to the Burrow opened and three figures staggered into the kitchen. The two people on the outside supported a third one in the middle. They appeared to be unable to stand and slumped down as the door closed behind them. She ran across the kitchen and dropped to her knees beside the fallen man and reached out to support his head. Ollivander's thin streaks of hair stuck to his forehead and tired grey eyes looked up to meet Andromeda's.

Harry brushed his wet hair out of his eyes. "All hell has broken lose out there."

Andromeda nodded. "It has begun."

"You think this is it?" Harry asked and the dark haired witch nodded.

"Where did you find him?" she asked as she helped Harry and Fred to bring Ollivander into what was left of the living room. The comforting warmth from the fire warmed Harry and Fred, who were soaked down to the core and Ginny, who had been sitting in an arm chair next to Tonks, flicked her wand to bring the sofa closer to the fire. They carefully sat Ollivander down and a soft groan escaped the aged wizard as he sank into the soft cushions.

"We went back to the Manor but it's completely destroyed. We decided to look in the area, just in case he managed to get away. Fred said he didn't remember seeing anything in the Prophet about Ollivander dying. Turned out he was right. He was wandering down the road about four miles from the Manor," Harry said and pointed at the old man's feet. "He had no shoes and his wounds were infected. If you ask me, he's gone delusional. He was mumbling non-stop. Something about having to stop the Great Evil."

Andromeda ran the tip of her wand along whatever clothing Ollivander was wearing, warming both the fabric and his skin. He relaxed and regained some of his colour. Then her brown eyes darted back to Harry. "I don't think he's delusional, Harry. I think he's frightened."

"You think the Great Evil means Hermione?" Fred whispered and Ginny gasped.

"I think it means what they are to become," Andromeda said and knelt down on the floor in front of the old wand maker. Gently she took his hand into her own and his eyes fluttered open. From the kitchen Molly appeared, clutching a mug of piping hot tea and a slice of fresh bread and some cheese. It wasn't much but it was all they had. Andromeda smiled as she took it and helped Ollivander as he attempted to hold the cup.

"T-thank you," he stammered after a few tiny sips. Tears welled up in his eyes. "Thank you."

"Thank us later," Andromeda said. "Mr Ollivander, do you know who we are?"

Ollivander's eyes wandered around the living room and came to a rest on Harry. "Mr Potter." Then he looked back at Andromeda and momentarily seemed frightened by her appearance before relaxing. Andromeda could not blame him for believing she was her sister. "Miss Black."

"We're the Order of the Phoenix, Mr Ollivander," Harry said as he knelt down next to Andromeda. The old wand maker nodded. He shared a look with Andromeda and she nodded encouragingly. "You're safe here." Ollivander shivered. The cold had gotten into his bones. Harry felt a sharp sense of pity for the old man. The war had been unkind to him. He took a deep breath and asked the one question they were desperate to see answered. "What can you tell us about the Three Cores?"

"Their cores are created from the same dragon heart," Ollivander said. His voice shook. "Many years ago they captured the largest Hungarian Horntail to have ever walked the surface of this Earth. From its heart three strings were taken and they were placed within individual wands." A lonely tear chased down his cheek. "No one dared to make the wands because the magic they possessed was brutal and unlike anything ever seen."

"You made the wands, didn't you, sir?" Harry asked quietly.

"Not even Gregorovitch himself dared to do it," Ollivander said and averted his eyes. "I was foolish enough to believe that I could not only produce the wands, I could also contain the magic they held within." He swallowed and his hands shook so badly that Andromeda carefully took the mug of tea from his fingers. "The night I created them, Gregorovitch made me vow I could never allow the wands to be reunited. Even back then I told him that the wand chooses the witch or wizard. I did not believe three single souls could be so powerful at any one time that the wands would connect with them."

Harry glanced at Andromeda and he saw the worry in her eyes. "You said soul, sir. What is the connection between a wand and a soul?"

Ollivander turned to look at Harry and his gaze lingered on the scar on the young man's forehead. "The wand chooses the wizard, Mr Potter. It recognises a part of itself inside the witch or wizard to whom it belongs. Like a missing shard of a mirror, or a piece of broken glass. Separate they are but useless but together they form a powerful instrument." He watched the frown spread across Harry's face. "Wand lore is full of mysteries, Mr Potter. That much is clear to those of us who have studied it. But a wand connects not only to magic. It connects to the soul."

"That's why a wand that has been borrowed but not claimed in fight or otherwise doesn't do its new owner's bidding in the same way a wand that was taken in battle or by force would," Tonks said suddenly and she looked at her mother. "It explains a lot."

"I understand," Andromeda said softly. "But you did find that two of the wands could not be separated, didn't you?"

Ollivander heaved a sigh. "Within a few years of each other, two of the three wands recognised its soul mate, if you so wish, in two of your sisters, Miss Black. I dare say I was not surprised when the first wand chose Bellatrix. Even as a young girl it was clear to see she possessed something that many others lacked."

"Darkness." Andromeda sounded bitter. "Bellatrix possessed darkness."

"The morning your younger sister walked into my shop, something happened. I remember it like it was yesterday. Golden blonde hair, the most angelic little girl you could ever imagine. So unlike her sisters in appearance," Ollivander said and his eyes found Andromeda. She looked sad. "Narcissa's eyes however betrayed what I had seen in Bellatrix and she found the box on the shelf, hidden quite a bit away, and asked to see it. The second her fingers touched the wood, my windows shattered. The second core had found its soul mate."

"But you said that the wands together are dangerous," Ginny said breathlessly. "Weren't you worried?"

"I saw little danger," Ollivander said. "There were only two cores, one third was still missing. But also, the wands are useless against each other. It would recognise its twin, its soul mate. If they were ever to duel, they could harm but not kill each other. When used separately, they work without problem. Even when in battle against a different opponent, the wands will not seek out its twin. They just cannot fight each other."

"But when the three cores are in the same room…" Andromeda did not dare finish her sentence.

"They are unbeatable."

"Why didn't you tell Hermione when she came to get her wand that day?" Harry asked. "Why didn't you tell her what it was, what was inside of it?" There was a hint of accusation in his voice. "She never knew!" He paused. "You told me that the phoenix who gave a feather for my wand had given only one other feather. Why didn't you tell her?"

"Because when you got your wand, Mr Potter, You-Know-Who was presumed dead. No one feared him. However, I knew that the two remaining cores were out there somewhere, even with Bellatrix imprisoned in Azkaban and Narcissa living far away. When I learnt Miss Granger was a Muggleborn I felt a sense of safety. What were the odds she were to ever run into the other two?" Ollivander said and shook his head. "I was wrong."

"Narcissa and Hermione crossed paths during the Quidditch World Cup in our fourth year," Harry remembered and he looked at Ginny. There had been a moment, then they had run into the Malfoy family, that Hermione had appeared dumb struck. Back then he had believed it was the loathing she felt towards the Malfoys. Now he realised it was Hermione's wand and Narcissa's finding and recognising each other. Soul mates that finally joined each against all odds only to be torn apart again. "And in our fifth year Bellatrix escaped Azkaban. It was when she and Hermione found each other."

"Miss Granger was your friend, Mr Potter. Everyone knew what you had faced together, I began to believe, or maybe I just hoped, that one third of the wand held a light where the others were dark." Ollivander took a deep breath. "I never dared to think that Miss Granger held the same darkness I saw within Narcissa and Bellatrix."

"Life changes people," Tonks said sharply. "Hermione never explored her darker side because she had no reason too. We all have traits we'd rather forget about. We all have thoughts and dreams about what we would like to do to those who hurt us. A desire for power isn't such a strange thing. When Hermione was hurt, she realised there was another side to her. Bellatrix just helped her explore it."

"Once their wands, and their souls, had sensed each other, there was no way they could ever be apart. Eventually they would have to join together, like three separate pieces of the same heart, which is what they are," Ollivander said. "They belong together."

"So you're saying they cannot be separated?" asked Andromeda, a hint of fear lacing her words.

Ollivander straightened his spine. "Only death can tear them apart."

"But when they are united their magic is unstoppable. They think and act like one," Harry said as he remembered the events at Malfoy Manor that had killed Ron and the explosive Killing Curse that had sprung from the three wands when they were together at Hogwarts. He flinched at the sudden pain he felt over the loss of his friends. "They are one."

"Are they strong enough to overpower Voldemort?" Andromeda asked and Ollivander looked up to meet the dark witch's eyes. Fear spread across his face. When he didn't answer Andromeda became desperate and she grasped his hand. "Are they?"

"I have no doubt that they can."

Tonks stood up. Determination flickered in her eyes. "And to stop them you have to kill one of them?"

"Yes." Ollivander's answer was but a whisper. "Take away part of the soul, destroy a shard of the heart."

"No," said Andromeda and she stood up. Tonks' eyes found hers. She shook her head. "We are not going to kill just the one."

"Mum?" Tonks whispered. "What are you saying?"

"To kill evil you don't just kill a small part of it, Nymphadora," Andromeda said and a bright flash of lightning illuminated the living room. Determination flickered in Andromeda's eyes. "To destroy evil you kill _all_ of it."

~()~

Hermione watched her own reflection in the darkened glass of the bedroom window. She had bound her brown curls back in a loose ponytail and let her hands trail down her new dress. The black leather corset sat tightly around her chest and was decorated with silver metal flowers that were all entwined, creating the illusion of an armour. Underneath it she wore a black skirt that still sat tightly around ger legs but also allowed her plenty of room to move. Black leather boots completed her new outfit and she focused her attention onto the wrist bands she wore on either arm. They clasped into place, giving her an almost warrior like appearance. Her wand was kept in a narrow sheath on her right hip, allowing her to draw it almost like one would a sword. She studied her own expression as another flash of lightning illuminated the glass. She caught the second reflection appearing behind her and a smile spread across her face.

Bellatrix's dress was identical to hers and she watched as the raven haired witch strolled into the room. Her black curls caressed her shoulders and when she reached Hermione she snaked her arms around the brunette's waist and kissed the side of her neck. As her lips made contact with the soft skin, a third shadow appeared in the rain stained glass and Hermione chuckled softly when Narcissa, also wearing the same dress, crossed the room, and joined them.

"It is time," she spoke softly and her slender fingers brushed a raven curl out of her sister's face.

"Any news?" Hermione questioned as she turned to look at the blonde witch.

"The forces have gathered in the castle grounds," Narcissa said softly. Her breath was warm against Hermione's cheek and her hand caressed the brunette's arm. "No sign of the Order."

"They know the signs," Hermione said slowly as she watched how the rain violently lashed against the bedroom window. "They will come."

"How can you be so certain, my love?" Narcissa asked and Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"Even if Potter isn't ready to face the Dark Lord tonight, someone else will be ready to face their own destiny," she said and she fixed her eyes back on the blonde witch. "Your sister will be looking for me."

"She will seek to kill you," Bellatrix whispered in the base of Hermione's neck and teeth grazed across exposed skin.

"I know," Hermione answered and turned her head so her lips could meet Bellatrix's. "I shall be waiting." Bellatrix's arms slipped from her waist and she stepped away from the two older witches. In the middle of the room she turned around and studied their faces. "We are one. To kill one is to kill all. Tonight all that awaits us is destiny. It is as certain as life and death itself." Her lips curled up into a devious smile as she drew her wand and aimed it as the ceiling. "To victory!"

~()~

The rain hammered down on their hoods as they climbed the hill towards the castle. The trees masked their presence and the sound of their boots on the path was erased by the strong winds and unrelenting rain. Andromeda led the small group further up the hill. The castle was within their reach. All that separated them from their destination was the metal gate and she hoped and prayed that the wand Harry had taken from the Death Eater would allow them to pass through. She glanced over her shoulder and felt a sharp sense of guilt as she watched the others struggle up the hill. The storm only seemed to get worse the closer they came to the castle.

"Harry?" Her voice was barely able to rise over the strong wind but he looked up and left Ginny's side to walk up to her. He had to bend forward to climb higher and when he finally reached Andromeda he realised they had reached the gates. He reached into his pocket and drew out the confiscated wand. Harry took a deep breath, placed its tip against the metal and watched in surprise how the whole gate began to disintegrate. It crumbled before their eyes, shattering to pieces at their feet, and Harry looked stunned.

"Come on," Andromeda rushed them to move along whilst keeping her eyes peeled on the crumbled gate. "I doubt it's going to stay down forever!"

She was the last one to step onto the grounds and glanced back as they ran towards the castle to see the gate restore itself. She then looked back towards the rest of the group, with Tonks and Harry now leading them. She could barely see them, as it was too dark, but ran towards the moving shadows and caught up with them when they reached the oak front doors. She placed her hand on the heavy door handle but Harry turned to look at her.

"Are you mad? You can't just walk in through the front door!"

"Can't I?" Andromeda challenged him and yanked at the door handle. To her surprise it gave way and the door opened to reveal the Entrance Hall. Her eyes found Harry. "I think old Snape needs to brush up on his magical locks."

Harry didn't answer and stepped past Andromeda into the castle. The others quickly followed and Andromeda waited for them to have moved towards the Grand Staircase before closing the door. She turned, the handle still in her hand, and looked around. Her breath hitched and she couldn't deny Snape had done an amazing job at restoring the castle. Nothing about the Entrance Hall gave away that only a few days ago a battle had taken place here that had killed some of their friends. She still envisioned the bloody floors, the crumbled walls and the destroyed staircase. All had been rebuilt into their former glory. The only thing that was missing were the paintings and somewhere she felt grateful for that.

With the door securely closed Andromeda joined the others and they began making their way up the stairs. Soon they disappeared into the castle's many corridors and vanished into the night. Nobody knew they were here.

~()~

The sheer power of their combined magic was too much for the metal gate and it burst into the flames before burning to ashes at their feet. The grounds of Hogwarts now lay open before them and Hermione was the first one to walk, followed by Bellatrix and Narcissa. They moved through the night like silent shadows, their boots barely touching the grass. The rain still poured down on them and the loud thunder erased any other noise. The wind ruffled their hair and wet strands stuck to their foreheads.

They reached the front doors and Hermione didn't wait for Bellatrix or Narcissa to speak but just aimed her wand and the doors blasted it open. The rain poured into the Entrance Hall and as she stepped inside she heard the sound of footsteps approaching. When she turned towards the Grand Staircase she recognised the witch that had appeared on the first floor, looking down. She studied the three unexpected arrivals, fear written across her face. Hermione smiled as another flash of lightning lit up her face. Recognition dawned in the teacher's eyes.

"Good evening Professor Sprout."

"Miss Granger." She sounded reserved. Fear flickered in her eyes.

"Would you be so kind as to tell Professor Snape that the castle is under siege," Hermione said, smirking. When the older witch frowned, she chuckled. "Surely by now he must know that not only the Dark Lord has descended upon Hogwarts."

"You're not…" she began but the rest of her sentence got lost when a bright green jet soared past her head and crashed into the ground, maybe half a foot to Hermione's left. Her eyes darted up and she discovered the dark clad figure leaning over the banister on the fourth floor. She recognised the soft features of her attacker's face before they pulled down their hood and revealed their brown curls.

"Good evening Andy," Hermione smiled and flicked her wand when a second spell was sent her way. Narcissa and Bellatrix responded and the strength of their Shield Charm was so strong that it filled the Entrance Hall with a blinding white light. The Killing Curse was brought of course and crashed into one of the suits of armour. Pieces of metal rained down on them.

"It ends here, Hermione!" Andromeda called form the higher floor and disappeared into the darkness. Around the castle people started moving and the sounds of hundreds of footsteps echoed off the walls. Doors opened and the sounds of spells crashing into walls and breaking glass began to fill the air. Hermione spun around on her right foot, darted towards the stairs and began to race up. Narcissa and Bellatrix were right behind her and the raven haired witch knocked out the Herbology teacher, sending her limp body tumbling down the stairs.

"Where are we going? Narcissa called and Hermione froze in her step, panting. She turned to face the blonde.

"Find Potter. The Dark Lord wants him. He'll do anything to get to him." She smiled and her hazel eyes darkened. "If we get to Potter before he does, he'll do whatever we ask." She softly laughed. "The prophecy says that neither can live whilst the other survives. One has to die at the hand of the other."

"What about the snake?" Bellatrix asked. "It needs to be destroyed before…"

"You find Potter. I'll find the snake," Hermione decided.

"We ought to stay together," Narcissa suggested but Hermione shook her head.

"We can't be together, Cissy. Not right now. We need to find the boy and we need to get rid of that snake. Only then can the final victory be ours," Hermione said and Bellatrix nodded. The raven haired woman grasped her sister's arm and they shot off in the direction where they had last seen Andromeda. Hermione watched them disappear into the corridor and waited until the sound of their footsteps rang out. She took a deep breath and willed her rapidly beating heart to calm. She pushed her wand back in its sheath and began climbing the stairs.

She found her way blindly to the Gryffindor Tower and to her surprise she found that it had been restored. She briefly wondered how many Gryffindors had actually returned after the precious battle but she shrugged, pushing the thought out of her head, and aimed her wand at the statue of an odd looking witch that had replaced the painting of the Fat Lady. It was blasted to pieces and through the cloud of dust and debris, Hermione climbed through the hole and entered Gryffindor common room. Once inside she walked to the nearest window. It provided an extensive view over the grounds and she placed the tip of her wand against it. The glass vanished and she leant through the gap. The cold rain splashed in her face and the bitter wind took her breath away. She stared out into the darkness and chuckled when she recognised the large group of dark clad figures that had gathered near the Lake. Standing on a large rock formation was Lord Voldemort himself, with the snake curled up at his feet.

She pulled back inside and turned away from the window when she became aware of a presence behind her. She drew her wand from its sheath and turned around slowly. There, her face illuminated by the golden flames in the Gryffindor fire place, stood Andromeda. Grief, hatred and pain were written across her face and her wand was aimed at Hermione's chest.

"We meet again," she said bitterly and took a step closer. All the separated them now was a large arm chair.

Hermione straightened her spine and pointed her wand at Andromeda. "We meet again indeed." Hazel eyes found dark brown. "For the last time."


	27. Shackles of Hate

**A/N: I** am currently going through some laptop trouble and have had to switch from my usual companion to an older model where, for some reason, the spell check didn't work and the keys stick. I did the best I could with what I had. I also don't like this laptop very much and I think the feeling might be mutual. ~Cissy

* * *

**Chapter 27**

**"Shackles of Hate"**

Hermione's hazel eyes fixed on Andromeda's face. There was a darkness to the older witch she had not seen before. In Andromeda's eyes flickered the betrayal. She resisted the urge to cast her spell and send the other woman across the room. Her finger trailed along the length of her wand and se straightened her spine. "You shouldn't be here, Andy."

"Neither should you," Andromeda answered. "You do not belong here."

"You're wrong," Hermione answered calmly. "I _do_ belong here."

"Why did you do it?" Andromeda suddenly asked. Tears glistened in her eyes. "How could you lie to us, to me, after everything we've been through? How could you look me in the eye and tell me everything would be allright when you knew that one night we would be facing each other, like this?"

"Do you know what it feels like to have your soul torn apart?" Hermione said. There was a venom to her words Andromeda had never heard before. "To feel your heart being taken from your chest, ripped to shreds and bleed to death?" Andromeda didn't answer. "Can you imagine the longing to feel whole again, to be complete once more? To be what you once were but better?" She took a step towards Andromeda but the older woman's wand slashed through the air, creating a barrier between them. Hermione stopped. Her eyes lit up. "I found that feeling, Andy."

"What you found was a hatred inside of yourself because of what Ron did to you. Bellatrix saw it that night in Diagon Alley and she used it," Andromeda hissed. "My sisters do not care for you, Hermione. They do not love you like I love you. They do not have the heart!"

"Our hearts are one. Three missing pieces finally united," Hermione said as she rolled her wand through her fingers. "We are parts of the same soul. We belong together. Born under different moons in different times but yet we are a part of each other in a way nothing else can ever challenge. We can no longer be apart."

"Death parts all souls, Hermione," Andromeda said sharply. "Surely you must know that."

"I do but I also know you're not going to kill me," the young brunette mocked. "You love me. You don't have it in you to murder the one whose hands are wrapped so tightly around your heart." She flicked her wand and the barrier that separated her from Andromeda dissolved. Hermione slowly walked around the chair and Andromeda stepped away from her. She staggered backwards until she found herself pressed against the wall with Hermione right in front of her. The younger witch cocked her head.

"Well, well, well, haven't we been in this position before?" she smiled and brushed a strand of hair out of Andromeda's face. The touch of her fingertips brought a shiver to Andromeda's spine. Hermione felt it against her flesh and her smile grew bigger. "You shouldn't have come here tonight, Andy. You don't have to die."

"You know I can't let you do this," Andromeda whispered. She peered at Hermione through her eyelashes and took in the younger woman's beautiful features. She had loved her once. The betrayal had broken her heart but it had not erased all of the feelings she harboured. She loved her still. She loved her like she had done from the first second her heart was touched by those big brown eyes and that smile. That same smile had masked the lies and the deceit but it still brought a flutter to Andromeda's chest she could not deny.

"It is between us and them," Hermione whispered. "The Dark Lord will fall tonight. The end is near. The prophecy has always been clear. Neither can live whilst the other survives. Whatever comes, by dawn the world will wake up to a new destiny." She leant in and brushed her lips against Andromeda's. "You know you can't stop me."

She stepped away and began making her way back towards the portrait hole. She had almost reached it when she turned around and found Andromeda looking at her from across the room. For a moment they both looked forlorn, as if life itself had been taken away from them,

"How did you know?" Andromeda asked. Their gazes locked. "How did you know I wasn't going to stop you?"

Hermione chuckled softly. "The flaws of mankind, Andy. Love makes us weak. It is the same reason you are standing there, asking me this question." She looked down at her wand and pushed it back into its sheath. "Ask yourself why I let you live." She left Andromeda standing in the Gryffindor common room and climbed through the portrait hole back into the corridor outside. She didn't look back and within seconds she had disappeared.

"You knew I wasn't going to stop you because I love you," Andromeda whispered. A lost tear trickled down her cheek and she reached up to brush it away. "And you let me live because you love me too." She pushed herself away from the wall and climbed through the portrait hole too. She looked left and right but Hermione had disappeared into the darkness. She took a deep breath and began making her way back down the staircase to join the fight.

~()~

Hermione made her way out of the castle through one of its many side entrances. She left the door open in her wake, unconcerned about whom might follow her. Behind her bright flashes of light lit up the castle's windows and smoke billowed up from the Astronomy Tower. She did not wait to see what had happened but continued to run across the wet grass. It was still raining and it lashed against her face, drenching her once more. The thunder roared dangerously over her head as she approached the Black Lake. As she came closer she watched black clad figures shoot off towards the castle. The Death Eaters were about to join the battle.

She came to a stop between the trees that lined the lake and hid behind a tall oak. As she peered around it she observed Lord Voldemort still standing on the rock formation, the snake he called Nagini coiled up near his feet. Only a few Death Eaters remained at his side and she recognised Yaxley, who seemed most disgruntled that he wasn't part of the group attacking the castle.

"The boy is here," Voldemort hissed to the men that surrounded him. "He is in the castle!"

"Rumour has it that it is not just Potter in the castle, My Lord," said Yaxley and Hermione's ears pricked up. "Grunt swore he saw Lestrange a few minutes ago."

"Bellatrix," Voldemort said slowly and turned towards Yaxley. The mention of his once most loyal follower brought a disdainful smirk to his face. He spoke her name with disapproval. "If she is here it means the others are here too. The Three Cores stand united."

From where she stood Hermione had a clear view of Voldemort's snake like face. She had never come across a man, if he could be called a man, as ugly as Lord Voldemort. The crimes he had committed and the magic he had performed throughout the years had taken all humanity from him. All that remained was an almost see through pale skin, with thin red slits for eyes, two small holes for a nose and no lips. Lord Voldemort was a monster beyond the meaning of the word. Dressed in his dark robes and clutching his wand, the Dark Lord's eyes fixed on the castle.

"We can't wait. Find the boy. If they get to him before we do, all will be lost. It was not Potter who destroyed parts of my soul, Yaxley," Voldemort said slowly. He looked down at the snake by his feet. "I cannot afford to lose this last shard. The boy must die."

"Right away, My Lord," Yaxley said. His face expressed relief about finally being sent into the castle. He made a hand gesture towards a rather dim looking wizard to his left and they disappeared into the night.

Hermione moved out of her hiding place but made sure to stay behind some bushes. Her eyes were still peeled on Voldemort and Nagini. She counted three more Death Eaters, all of whom had their backs turned towards her. She would only have one chance if she wanted to kill the snake. Her first spell would have to hit it before she could try to take out any of the others. She never blinked, never allowed for a moment's distraction to come between her and her goal.

The wet soil underneath her boots made for the perfect silent approach. The heavy rain muffled the sound of rustling leaves as she pushed the branches of the trees aside and slowly emerged from the shadows of her hiding place. She carefully drew her wand from its sheath, closed her fingers securely around the wood and took another step, followed by a second and then a third. She froze when the snake lifted up its head and began to circle around, turning towards her. It had picked up her scent in the air.

It rose up, much like a cobra that was about to attack its prey, and opened its mouth, letting out a sharp hiss. Just as Voldemort moved to see what happened behind him, Hermione's wand came down in one slashing motion. A green jet of light briefly lit up the dark skies before it crashed into the snake's body. It remained upright for a moment, as if frozen, before collapsing onto the rocks. As an outcry of pain and fear escaped from Voldemort's throat, Hermione slashed her wand through the air a second time. The snake's head was severed from its body and rolled off the rocks before coming to a rest near the water's edge. Nagini was dead.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Voldemort bellowed and pointed his wand at Hermione. The remaining Death Eaters all turned in her direction and began casting a variety of spells.

She moved as fast as she could, leaping from one foot onto the other whilst fighting off the spells. She felt something hit her arm and looked down to find the flesh peeling away from her bone. Blood poured from the wound and seeped into the soggy grass. Her moment of hesitation allowed for a second spell to crash into her stomach and she buckled forward. She nearly landed on her knees as her uninjured arm clutched her stomach but she staggered back up. Dark hazel eyes snapped up and she raised her bleeding arm, put all her weight on her right leg and cried, "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

She continued to cry the spell as she spun around, almost like a ballerina, on the tip of her toes. Her spells hit every Death Eater but missed Lord Voldemort. She came to a rest, her chest heaving, and let her eyes trail up to meet his. He seemed stunned for a moment, unable to comprehend how a wounded young witch had been able to take out all his men. This time it was his moment of unawareness that cost him. Hermione stepped backwards, away from him and away from the beheaded snake, and disappeared into the shadows of the night. He did not follow her.

She walked as far as she could, clutching desperately at the gash across her stomach from which blood continued to pour. She felt weak and lightheaded and the pain was excruciating. Every step was a challenge and every heartbeat felt a little fainter than the one before. She looked up, towards the castle. Her vision was blurred and the rain slashed into her face. She gasped for air as her lungs pressed against her ribcage.

Hermione reached the oak front doors. They were wide open and a large pool of rainwater had formed inside the entrance hall. She climbed up the stairs, supporting herself against the wall. As she glanced over her shoulder she realised she was leaving a bloody trail behind. An outcry of pain escaped her as she finally made it inside. She looked around. No one else was here. She was alone. Bellatrix and Narcissa were looking for Harry. They could be anywhere. She wondered if she was ever going to see them again.

She fell down to her knees before slowly laying herself down on her back on the cold, wet floor. She stared up at the ceiling of the Entrance Hall. Never before had she noticed the beautiful painting of angels and flowers and the moon, the stars and the sun. Her breath became shallow and the pain slowly began to subside. She was tired and cold and she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. The last thing she saw was the smiling face of an angel as it swung from the moon.

~()~

"Give it up, Potter!" Bellatrix cackled as she sent another spell towards the small group of people in front of her. The sound of her laughter echoed off the castle walls and her spell was answered by a well-aimed yet far less powerful curse. Her charcoal eyes darted towards Narcissa, who had managed to trap the boy's irritating red haired girlfriend in a cage of fire. Ginny Weasley was trapped about three feet off the ground.

"You'll never win, Bellatrix!" Harry shouted. His green eyes darted to the fiery cage in which Narcissa had trapped Ginny. He, Fred and George were duelling Bellatrix but he knew they could never beat her. Even when they cast three different spells at the same time she still managed to avoid them all. She relished in the excitement and the adrenaline of the batte.

"Oh but I will," Bellatrix grinned. "Now, unless you want your stupid little girlfriend to die, I suggest you drop your wand and do as I say."

"You can't do this!" Harry cried. "You took Hermione from us."

"I can do this and I will," Bellatrix mocked and exchanged a look with Narcissa. The blonde witch aimed her wand and the Cruciatus Curse hit Ginny square in the chest. Her body slumped down in the cage of fire and she began to seize. Her head jerked sideways and her eyes rolled back. A horrible cry of pain escaped from the depths of her throat and Harry watched in terror as his girlfriend suffered at the hands of Narcissa Malfoy.

"Stop!" he pleaded and lowered his wand. Bellatrix's eyes widened. "Don' hurt her!"

"Little late for that, I think," Narcissa laughed but withdrew her wand. Ginny stopped shaking and the cage that had trapped her vanished. Her body fell to the ground and landed with a sickening thud at Narcissa's feet. She stepped away from Ginny, disgusted, and watched in amusement how her two brothers rushed to her side to help her.

"Clever boy, Potter," Bellatrix lisped and she summoned his wand. It landed neatly in the open palm of her hand and she pushed it into the sheath attached to her dress. Harry looked tired and defeated. His glasses were broken, his lip was split and there was a deep cut across his left cheek. His clothes were covered in dust, dirt and blood. He looked like a stray dog that nobody would ever want or love.

"Now, come here," Bellatrix barked and Harry walked towards her. She lifted up his chin and studied his face, a smile of approval spreading across her lips. Narcissa moved closer and Bellatrix gave her a sideways glance. "The Dark Lord is going to be very interested in this."

"You think she succeeded?" Narcissa asked and Bellatrix nodded.

"It is done."

"You're never going to win this, Bellatrix!" Harry said but his words resulted in her slapping him violently across his face before she spat at his feet. Charcoal eyes stared at him in disgust.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance."

"Come on, let's take him to the Great Hall," Narcissa said and glanced at the three Weasley's behind her. "What do we do with them?"

Bellatrix placed the tip of her wand against Harry's wrists and silver chains began to wrap themselves around his arms. "Leave them. They're going to die soon enough."

She grabbed the loose end of the chain and dragged Harry through the abandoned corridor and towards the Grand Staircase. They were on the fifth floor and had encountered Harry and his friends outside one of the classrooms. Harry had attempted to hex Narcissa but she had been relentless and responded with such force that he had fallen backwards, hitting his head against a door. After that she had turned on Ginny and imprisoned her in the cage of fire.

"We have to find Hermione," Narcissa said. "We cannot face the Dark Lord without her."

"She'll be there," Bellatrix answered reassuringly and began making her way down the stairs, dragging Harry along behind her. His knees buckled and he tripped over his own feet. She did not wait for him to get back up and continued dragging him with his face now lying across the steps. Narcissa walked beside her and peered down over the banister to see if any danger awaited them downstairs.

"Bella," she whispered softly and her fingers closed around her sister's arm. "We've got a problem."

~()~

She felt soft hands against her chest. Something pressed into the side of her neck and then she became aware of someone or something pulling at her eyelids. She opened them, hoping the feeling would stop, and realised that there was someone sitting next to her. She wanted to sit up, get away from them but realised that she couldn't. Fear overwhelmed her and she tried again, more desperately this time, but two strong hands pushed her back down.

"Don't move."

She knew that voice. "Andy?"

"I should let you die for what you did to me, for what you did to all of us," Andromeda whispered and she placed the tip of her wand against Hermione's stomach. She felt something warm, like someone drizzled warm oil across her skin, and realised that the pain started to wear off. She turned her head and looked down at her arm. The wound had closed but an ugly red scar disgraced her skin. She looked back at the witch sitting next to her. Andromeda looked pale and tired. "I can't let you die, Hermione. Not like this."

She cleared her throat. "Know that if it had been the other way around, you'd be dead by now."

"I don't believe that."

"Then you're an idiot."

"You didn't kill me because you love me, Hermione. That's why you didn't attack me when I stood on the stairs and it's also the reason you didn't try when we were in the common room. You had your chance and you didn't take it," Andromeda said firmly. "You can't kill me."

"Don't challenge me," Hermione groaned and slapped Andromeda's hands away from her. Realising that the older witch had not taken her wand from her ,she picked it up from the ground and rolled it through her fingers. "You should have let me die."

"I think knowing that my love for you is stronger than the hate only angers you more," Andromeda said and slowly stood up. Through open doors more rain poured into the entrance hall. "You're going to have to live with the knowledge that you tried to break me but couldn't."

Hermione staggered to her feet and studied Andromeda's face. "My offer still stands, Andy. Stay with me and everything changes. I can take you away from all of this, to something far more beautiful and intense than this dunghill. I can give you everything." She slowly walked towards the older witch and placed her bloodied hands on her hips. Her voice was soft and a tender light appeared in her hazel eyes. "I love you, Andy."

"I know you do," Andromeda whispered and rested her forehead against Hermione's. She let the younger witch's damp curls run through her fingers. "No matter how hard you tried, not all of it was a lie. I know you love me but I also know you do not love me enough."

"I'm sorry."

Hermione's words got lost as the sound of footsteps approached and she turned her head in time to see Bellatrix and Narcissa descend down the staircase, dragging Harry along behind them. Her eyes widened and they darted from the two witches back to Andromeda. She then turned her back on the woman she had just confessed she loved and walked, as best as she could, towards the other two witches. Narcissa's gaze fixed on Hermione's blood stained clothing.

"What happened?"

"A little run in with the Dark Lord," Hermione shrugged and she pointed at Harry. "But I did what needed to be done. You found him then?"

"Little shitbag was hiding on the fifth floor," Bellatrix spat and her eyes found Andromeda. It was her they had seen from the floors above. She had seen her talk to Hermione and jealousy invaded her. "What is she doing here?"

"Nothing. She came to tell me that the Order will no longer be trying to get in our way," Hermione said sharply and looked at Andromeda. Her eyes were empty and void of emotion. "She was just leaving."

"Actually, maybe she should stay," Bellatrix chuckled. Her charcoal eyes met her sister's brown and it was clear that Bellatrix had sensed her victory. She yanked at the chains and Harry rolled onto his side at her feet. Blood seeped from his nose and he didn't move. Bellatrix laughed. "I reckon that what comes next could turn out to be rather fun. She can watch her little friend die. "


	28. A Thousand Deaths

**A/N: **Talk about an explosive finale. Here it is. Also, I shamelessly stole the quote mentioned here from _Spartacus: Gods of the Arena_ (which belongs to Starz and Rob Tapert) and even wrote it into the story. I thought those lines between Titus and Lucretia were near enough perfect for this story and especially this chapter. Beware, this is not the end. ~Cissy

* * *

**Chapter 28**

"**A Thousand D****eaths"**

"_Tell me I have been mistaken about you. Tell me you are not the serpent I have thought you to be."__  
"I am not. I'm far worse."_

_Titus and Lucretia – Spartacus; Gods of the Arena (The Reckoning)_

Bellatrix dragged Harry into the Great Hall. The sound of the chains echoed off the castle walls. Hermione walked closely behind the dark haired witch. Her eyes were fixed on Harry's swollen features and she watched his eyes flutter open and though filled with blood he recognised her face. Their gazes locked, bound by their hatred and they stared at each other silently. Harry knew he was at her mercy now. He had always been at her mercy. There was nothing else left to do. Everything had been said and done. It was over.

"You know no one will ever forgive you for this," he hissed as Bellatrix shoved him across the room, using the tip of her boot to kick him down. He groaned in pain and turned his head so he could look at the female Death Eater. "No one will forgive you."

"I don't care," Hermione said as she walked around Bellatrix and looked down upon Harry. "I don't need your forgiveness."

"What about mine?" Andromeda asked unexpectedly and Hermione's head snapped around. Her brown curls danced around her head and she reminded Andromeda of a warrior, of a fighter, standing in the rubbles of the Great Hall. Blood stained her clothes and her face. Hermione was a warrior. A warrior of the night, of darkness. "Don't you need my forgiveness?"

Hermione's features hardened. "I never needed anything from you."

"Cissy, see to it that his friends don't become a..." Bellatrix chose her words carefully. "..._burden_."

Narcissa quietly acknowledged her sister's request and drew a shape in the air. A cage very similar to the one she had trapped Ginny in earlier appeared and Narcissa slashed her wand once towards Ginny, whose hands were bound in magical rope. Fred and George suffered the same fate and she took their wands as the fiery bars closed around the three red haired siblings. The cage then rose up in the air until it floated about a foot above them. Ginny had fallen to her knees, weeping desperately. Her brothers tried to comfort her.

"Now, what are we going to do with you?" Bellatrix turned away from Harry's chained body on the floor and turned to Andromeda. She slowly walked towards her younger sister, rolling her wand through her fingers. Intense charcoal eyes searched the other woman's face. "Tell me something, sister dear, do you _love _her?" She almost spat the words at Andromeda's feet.

"Yes," Andromeda answered without hesitation. "I love her."

"Love is wasted," Bellatrix spoke softly and let her hand slide up her sister's arm. "Oh the pain of a broken heart."

"At least I still have a heart to be broken," Andromeda said sharply. She looked away from Bellatrix and her eyes fixed on Hermione, who was now hovering over Harry. "Hermione, you don't have to do this. There has to be another way. Look at me!" When the brunette continued to ignore her, Andromeda could no longer fight the tears that welled up in her eyes. "LOOK AT ME!"

Hermione slowly turned around and the face Andromeda saw did not belong to the girl who had kissed her on the landing of the Burrow. It did not belong to the girl who had made love to her right here in this castle. Hermione's eyes had darkened, poisoned by the hatred that flooded in her veins. She raised herself up, straightening her spine. Over their hands the thunder roared and a lightning flash suddenly lit up the Great Hall. What Andromeda saw was a monster. The Hermione she had known was gone and for the first time since all of this she wondered whether she had ever been really there.

_She was there. I saw her. When I felt her heart beating under my hands and felt her blood on my fingers. I know she was there. She could not kill me because she loves me. Somewhere deep down she knows she loves me still. Like I love her. _Andromeda's dark eyes reflected her torment and her pain. _She is fighting whatever is left of her soul. She doesn't want the fo__r__giveness because she knows the guilt will tear her apart. She wants to become this monster, this shadow of the night. The soulless creature, void of all love and emotion. She wants to be the empty shell because it hurts to less to love me. _

"Hermione, look at me and speak nothing other than the truth. Look into my eyes and tell me I have been mistaken about you," Andromeda begged. She wished for one moment, for just one moment, tat their eyes would meet and she would recognise just a shard of this tainted soul. "Tell me you are not the serpent I have thought you to be."

Hermione stretched her neck. "I am not." Hazel eyes met dark brown. There were no emotions in her eyes. Her voice sounded hollow, like a ghost speaking from the afterlife. "I'm far worse."

"Mum?"

The sound of Tonks' voice made everyone in the Great Hall look up. Hermione aimed her wand and cast her spell but the Auror was quicker, ran towards Hermione and cast a spell at the same moment she did. The two jets met halfway, exploding in mid-air and sending everyone standing nearby three steps backwards. Tonks' protective arm wrapped around her mother's waist and she pulled her away from the explosion and they collapsed against the ground.

"Nymphadora," Andromeda whispered and turned to look at her daughter's face. She was covered in dust and blood, though Andromeda could not see any injuries. Her voice was soft, hoarse and tired. "Go home."

"And leave you?" Tonks answered in return. "Are you out of your mind?"

"Perhaps," Andromeda answered and her eyes darted around the Hall. Hermione sat on her knees beside Harry and it looked like she was whispering something to him. Bellatrix and Narcissa stood a few metres away, unharmed, but looking angry and disgruntled. The fiery cage floated over their heads. Ginny was still crying uncontrollably.

Andromeda looked at her daughter in defeat. "Leave while you still can. It's over."

"We can take them out, mum. You and me together," Tonks said and she went to reach for her mother's arm but Andromeda shook her head.

"We'd never win, darling. Our wands are no match against theirs. They'd kill us in a second." She hesitated. "Even Hermione."

"Why haven't they killed us yet?" Tonks asked. "Why are they just letting us in here?"

"Because it is not us they want," Andromeda said and watched as Bellatrix opened the palm of her hand. Her wand spun itself towards Hermione, who slowly stood up and opened her own hand. The tip of her wand aligned with Bellatrix's and from both tips flames erupted. Narcissa moved closer and when she opened her own palm, a third flame joined the other two. Andromeda watched in horror as the three wands floated up from their owner's hands and above their heads formed a triangle. The flame continued to swell and Andromeda could feel the heat against her skin.

Then, unexpectedly, the flame became brighter and shot up, through the ceiling and out into the night. Heavy rain came pouring into the Great Hall but it did not touch the flame. Andromeda watched as the fire grew taller and higher, reaching all the way up to the sky. A single flame that could light the whole world and burn it if it was commanded so.

Hermione's eyes fell shut and Andromeda felt a chilling shiver creep down her spine when she heard the brunette's voice. It was but a whisper but its echo carried on, bouncing off the walls and floating away into the rainy night, carried by the wind to the one for whom it was intended.

"We have the boy. You have one hour to claim him and face your battle, My Lord. If you do not do this, the boy dies at our hands and we will look for you, across the surface of this Earth. Your soul is mortal once more. We know your secret. You stand no chance against our union. Victory only comes to those who sacrifice all."

When Hermione's eyes opened they were fixed on Andromeda. "Victory only comes to those who sacrifice _everything."_

"Go home, Nymphadora," Andromeda said again, without taking her eyes off Hermione. Bellatrix and Narcissa had extended their hands and their wands landed neatly in their open palms. Hermione took hers from the air and as the wood made contact with their fingers, the flame died out. In the distance, a painful cry could be heard. Lord Voldemort had received their message. The end was near.

"There is no home left to go to," Tonks answered. Her eyes wandered around the Great Hall and she remembered her time here as a student. She had laughed and cried here, learnt some of the wisest lessons of life between these walls. Tonight she watched these walls burn again. She saw everything that symbolised hope in her life fall apart. "Everything has been destroyed."

"Then we pick up the pieces and build something stronger," Andromeda answered though she doubted she would ever be able to reform the shattered remains of her heart. "Find anyone who is still alive and leave the grounds within the hour. It is as safe now as it is ever going to be." Her eyes briefly lingered on the fiery case above them. "I'll do whatever I can to bring the others home."

As Tonks stood up, Narcissa and Bellatrix aimed their wands at her but Hermione did not move. She had knelt down again beside Harry and looked at his unconscious form. She studied like him as if it were the first time she truly saw him. She did not look up as Tonks staggered out of the hall and began looking for survivors. Nobody knew how many she would find. When the young Auror left, Narcissa's wand moved towards Andromeda instead.

"What about her?"

"Leave her," Bellatrix said calmly. "She is of no value to us."

"She is of value to her," Narcissa said and jerked her head towards Hermione. "You saw what I saw, Bellatrix. What good will denying it do?"

"What good comes from acknowledging it?" Bellatrix retorted. "Be grateful for her weakness, Cissy. We would not have had a union had it not been for her. What we saw was a sacrifice she made. One she will have to live with for the rest of her life. This will always be the night she saved the girl who destroyed the Dark Lord only to rule in his place."

"We will rule in his place," Narcissa whispered and placed her lips against Bellatrix's neck. Andromeda felt her stomach turn. "What you reckon she's saying to him?"

Bellatrix shrugged. "Doesn't matter. Words are meaningless at a time like this."

Hermione still sat on her knees beside Harry, her hands folded in her lap. She had studied his face and watched for movement behind his eyes but nothing happened. She felt nothing. In her chest she knew her heart was beating but she was empty. Her mind was empty, void of thoughts or desires. There were no memories, no lingering words. She merely looked at Harry, knowing he had been her friend once upon a time. Things had changed. She had changed.

"You spoke about forgiveness, Harry. I do not need forgiveness. I have never asked for anything from you, or from Ron. In the days when we were still friends, when our friendship still meant something to tis world, I never asked for anything." She paused and looked around the Great Hall. They had spent many moments here. It felt like a lifetime ago. "Everything changed that night but I realise now that I had changed long before that. None of this was every my choice. Being your friend was never a choice but becoming what I am now, what I have chosen to be, is my choice. I am the serpent Andromeda feared I was. I am worse than that. But I have no regrets. I listened to myself, Harry. I listened and I found the true echo inside my soul." Her eyes drifted off to find Bellatrix and Narcissa. "I found the missing parts of me." She slowly stood up. "Goodbye, Harry."

She walked halfway across the Great Hall and reached the platform where the teacher's table would have been. She stood silently, with her back turned towards those behind her and listened to the wind as it howled outside. The sound of rain rattling down on the stone floor sounded haunting and monotone. Another lightning flash. Thunder would soon follow.

"What did you say to him?"

The words were spoken in a whisper but Hermione knew it was Andromeda. She did not turn around. "I said goodbye."

"Why?"

"Because I had to."

"Because deep down you feel it anyway? That sense of guilt and betrayal? The knowledge that you looked at him, at all of us, and lied? Does it make you feel sick to know what we will all at your hands one day, because of the choice you made?" Andromeda said and hoped, prayed, Hermione would turn around. "Do you know what you did?"

Hermione spun around. Hazel eyes were blazing. "I know what I did!"

"Then why say goodbye?" Tears glistened in Andromeda's eyes. "Why bother?"

"Because he needs to know I am not who he thought I was," Hermione bit at her. "And I'm not what you believed I was, either!"

"And what is that, Hermione? You're not a creature who could love another living soul? You're not a person who still feels something in the frozen depths of your heart? You do not feel the anguish in your soul whenever you lay eyes on me?" Andromeda asked. "I know what you tried to tell me earlier and I will take your secret to my grave. Know that never again will another hold my heart like you have held it."

Hermione swallowed hard. "That's because there is nothing left to hold." She reached out and placed her hand against Andromeda's chest, right over her heart. "I destroyed it."

The words had only just left her lips when a deep rumbling noise began to fill the Great Hall. The walls were shaking and part of the ceiling suddenly crumbled down on them. Dust filled the room, blinding their eyes and stealing their breath. Hermione covered her head with her arm, suddenly aware of the hand that had grabbed hers before pulling her down to the ground. She rolled away from the protection, away from Andromeda's touch, and leapt to her feet. She could barely see in the darkness but the heavy rain quickly settled the dust and she discovered the dark outline of a figure emerging from the shadows. Lord Voldemort had arrived.

Her wand responded before she had time to think and she let it move across the darkness. Through the smoke and dust she saw two vague glowing dots and suddenly the explosion lit up the room. The light was so bright it almost blinded her and Hermione's hand closed around her wand a little tighter, determined not to lose control. She felt the magic in her fingertips, seeping into her blood before rushing up to her brain. She closed her eyes to ground herself and became aware of the voice that echoed in her head. Bellatrix's voice.

"Kill him now!"

The silver light that bound them together dissolved and Hermione blinked against the dust that filled her eyes. Lord Voldemort stood in the middle of what was left of the Great Hall, surrounded by debris and rubble. His fiery red eyes was the first thing Hermione really recognised and she felt her heart pounding against her ribcage. She searched the dust for Bellatrix and Narcissa and found them close together, maybe four feet away. She ran towards them but her movement alarmed Voldemort and he spun around in her direction, aiming his wand and casting his spell. He missed.

"You think you can defeat me?" he challenged. His voice was hollow. "You think you can win?"

Hermione didn't answer his taunt but merely took her aim. The spell was silent and never left her lips. It exploded in brain, in a chorus of her own voice, Bellatrix's voice and Narcissa's voice. They spoke the two words in unison, like a melody, and the three wands produced one glowing green jet light. A mere second it took to reach him. His snake like features lit up in the haunting green glow and his red eyes darkened. Then the spell crashed into his chest. He stiffened and his mouth opened but he did not fall.

"Impossible!" Narcissa cried when the Dark Lord did not fall at their feet. "Impossible!"

Hermione felt how the blood rushed through her ears. They had done what needed to be done. The Horcruxes were destroyed. Lord Voldemort's soul was mortal once more and yet he did not die. Her eyes darted around the darkened room and came to a rest on Andromeda. The woman had staggered back to her feet after having witnessed what had happened and she stared at Hermione in shock.

"There has to be another!" Bellatrix shouted as she deflected a well-aimed Killing Curse from her former master. Narcissa came to her sister's aid and a furious duel erupted between the three of them. Hermione ran to join them and the power of their wands was overwhelming. The strength of their spells sometimes almost sent them falling backwards but other than drawing blood from Voldemort's face and arms, he did not crumble at their feet. He had not died. He remained immortal. They had failed.

"Why?" Hermione shouted as she looked from Bellatrix to Narcissa. Blood gushed from her nose after a spell had rebounded. Voldemort didn't seem in the least tired. He smirked throughout the duel, with a hatred unlike anything she had ever seen flickering in his eyes. She forced her eyes back at the dark wizard a second too late and the sharp pain in her stomach told her that the next spell had hit her. She felt the warm blood trickle down her legs and her knees buckled. She collapsed, face forward, and the air was knocked out of her lungs.

"It's Harry!" She heard the voice from the distance and she turned her throbbing head towards it. Andromeda moved as if in slow motion towards her, wand drawn and eyes wide open. "It's Harry! Harry is the last Horcrux!"

It happened so quickly. She had but a second to respond. Lying on her stomach, barely able to move her legs, Hermione crawled forward across the dust covered floor. Pieces of stone cut into her hands and chest and she tasted her own blood on her lips. Every movement hurt but she kept going. She became aware of a person falling beside her and watched in horror as Narcissa's head bounced off a large piece of wall that had fallen down moments earlier. She lay still, lifeless, as blood began to form beside her. Her blue eyes rolled back into her head and her mouth opened. Hermione couldn't hear what she said. Bellatrix's outcry of pain over her sister's fall made her look up and she saw how the raven haired warrior fought bravely against the wizard she had once called her Master. She was no longer a servant. She was free. Free to win, free to win. Free to survive.

Hermione tore her eyes away from Bellatrix and looked at Harry. He lay maybe two feet away from her, still wrapped up in his chains. He looked pale and had not moved. Hermione groaned in agony as she tried to crawl to him. She left a bloodied trail behind as she dragged herself across the dust covered floor but reached te young wizard eventually. _It was Harry. Harry was the last Horcrux. _How had she not known? How had she not seen it sooner?

"Avada Kedavra."

The spell left her lips with a whisper and the green flash briefly lit up Harry's face. His eyes opened and for a second the life returned in those emerald green orbs. For one long moment his face regained its colour and then, then there was nothing but the endless screaming from Ginny behind her. She managed to look over her shoulder and found Andromeda struggling to hold the red haired girl down. She was kicking and screaming to get to Harry but Andromeda wasn't letting her. Instead she pushed the girl into her brother's arms and ordered them to leave. The last thing Hermione heard was Ginny's cries of pain dying out in the dark.

How a mere second could feel like a like a lifetime, Hermione did not understand. She lay on her stomach, next to Harry's lifeless body, and became aware of someone moving towards her. Black skirts moved past her face and she recognised Bellatrix's face, contorted into a mask of pain as she fell to her knees, clutching her chest. Blood gushed form her mouth and her charcoal eyes were wide open as she stared up to the wizard who was about to take her life away. It was over. They had lost.

"NO!"

The cold wind touched Hermione's face at the same time that one lonely green jet shot across the length of the Great Hall and hit Lord Voldemort in his back. He stood over Bellatrix, ready to slash down his wand and take her head like Hermione had taken Nagini's, but the magic never came. His fingers relaxed and the wand fell from their grasp, landing on the ground with an almost deafening sound. Its echo seemed to be everlasting. And then he fell. Slowly, almost gracefully, down onto his knees and then his front. A quiet thud and then there was nothing but the sound of pouring rain.

A lone figure remained standing amongst the rubble, the dust and the rain. Blood seeped from a cut above their eyebrow and the rain had made their hair stick to their forehead. Andromeda lowered her arm, her wand still safely trapped behind her fingers, and looked around. All that remained was silence. The rain continued to batter them, pouring from the destroyed ceiling over their heads. The floor was stained with dust and blood and she looked for something worth saving.

She found Hermione lying on her stomach and rushed over to her. She tried to move the brunette onto her back but Hermione's bloodied hands closed around Andromeda's and their gazes locked. She swallowed hard.

"Why did you tell me?" she whispered. She took a ragged breath. It hurt. Every heartbeat hurt. "About Harry. Why did you tell me?" Her hazel searched for Andromeda's. "You knew what I'd do if you told me. You knew I'd kill him."

"I had to," Andromeda whispered and she attempted to stop the bleeding from the cut on Hermione's stomach. "I couldn't let him win."

"You're a fool," Hermione whispered.

"I know." Andromeda brushed a strand of hair out of Hermione's face and smiled weakly but was disturbed when she realised that not far from Hermione's side, Bellatrix was staggering to her feet. The smile fell from her face and she stood up, her hands covered in Hermione's blood once again. "I am a fool, Hermione Granger."

With those words she turned around, ran past Bellatrix and an unconscious Narcissa and disappeared out of the Great Hall, leaving behind the utter devastation. Harry's body lay lifeless between the rubble, still wrapped up in his chains. Death had finally claimed the Chosen One. Lord Voldemort lay on the other side of the hall, face down in the dirt. Fallen from grace like the broken wizard he was. A little bit further up Bellatrix crawled to Hermione, a twisted smile lingering on her lips. She lay herself down beside her bleeding lover and kissed her cheek.

"To victory, my love."

Hermione's eyes rolled back in her head but she searched for Bellatrix's hand. Her words were a whisper, like a final breath, and disappeared almost as soon as they had been spoken. "To victory."


	29. Fate of the Fallen

**A/N: **How many of you just jumped out of your seats when you realised this story had not yet finished? I know I left you all hanging on a cliff hanger in the previous chapter (it seems to be my style) but here is the conclusion. This chapter picks up where the previous one left off, showing two different POV's and two completely different scenarios. ~Cissy

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**Chapter 29**

"**Fate of the Fallen"**

The word was still shrouded in darkness when she appeared on top of the hill closest to the Burrow. She could make out the fallen building's shape against the dark backdrop and with a heavy heart she started her descend towards the house. A weak light flickered behind the window and with every step she took she became more and more aware of the stinging tears behind her ears. She imagined the grief and hopelessness that lingered between these four walls. It was a devastating thought.

Andromeda reached the door and slipped her hand in her pocket. Her fingers brushed against her wand and she felt a shiver creep down her spine when she heard footsteps on the other side. The door was yanked open and she was confronted with a wand being pointed at her face.

"How dare you show your face?" Ginny shouted. Her face was red and swollen and Andromeda could still see the fresh tears that covered her cheeks. "Get out!"

"Ginny." She spoke the girls' name softly but Ginny wasn't listening.

"GET OUT!" Ginny pushed her wand into Andromeda's chest and her eyes darkened. The grief consumed her heart. If it wasn't for another figure appearing behind her in the doorway, she would have attempted to throttle Andromeda. "You let her kill Harry! You told her his secret and you watched as she killed him. You did_ nothing_!"

"I know," Andromeda said softly and tried to meet Ginny's eyes. "I owe you an explanation."

"You owe us a hell of a lot more than that," said Molly. She had wrapped her arms protectively around her daughter's waist to stop her from reaching physically attacking the other witch. "What in Merlin's name got into you, Andy? I know you loved her but to do this…" She shook her head. "You betrayed all of us."

"I understand you're angry and hurt but there was no other way," Andromeda said softly. She felt her own tears burn behind her eyes. "I did what needed to be done because I knew none of you ever could. We needed the one person who could distance themselves from all of you." She swallowed hard. "I would completely understand if you do not allow me to come in right now, but know that whenever you are ready I will explain my actions to you." Her eyes found Ginny. "To all of you."

"Let her in." It was Tonks. She walked up to Molly and when Andromeda laid eyes on her daughter she felt her heart leap up in her chest. A sense of joy overwhelmed her, throughout al the sadness and bitterness that surrounded them right now. She looked unharmed, apart from some cuts and bruises. Tonks gently pushed Molly aside and stepped into the open doorway. "She's my mother. I want to hear what she has to say."

Molly reluctantly stepped aside, pulling Ginny with her, and made room for Andromeda to enter the kitchen. It was quiet and she felt several sets of eyes rest on her as she walked in. She was the traitor in their midst, at least in their eyes. They didn't understand, didn't know, why she had done what she did. They didn't see things the way she saw them now, the way she had learnt to see them in the minutes leading up to Harry's death. They didn't know what she had known all along. That there was only one outcome.

"Thank you," she said graciously as she bowed her head and took the seat that was offered to her by Fred. He didn't meet her eyes and turned his back on her. His body language betrayed his anger.

"Why did you do it?" Tonks asked. She had walked around the table and stared at her mother from the other side. Her hands rested on the damaged wooden surface and a glint of anger flickered in her eyes. "You could have fought. We could have fought. Instead you chose Harry's death. You let Hermione win. Why?"

"Harry knew something you didn't," Andromeda said slowly and she sensed Ginny standing behind her. She could almost feel the girls' anger radiating onto her skin. "Harry had known for a long time that he was a Horcrux." She looked around the table. "He knew that for the last piece of Voldemort's soul to die, Harry himself had to die too. _Neither _can live whilst the other survives. The prophecy could be viewed in more ways than one and Harry realised that too." She folded her hands on the table.

"How did you know?" Tonks asked sharply.

"He told me," Andromeda answered softly. "Back at Hogwarts, when Hermione went to look for one of the Horcruxes in Bellatrix's vault, Harry found me in the Gryffindor common room. It was late and everyone had gone to bed." She swallowed hard as she remembered the green eyed boy walking up to her as she sat by the fire. She had guessed from the look in his eyes that there was something he wanted to talk to her about. "He said he knew something, about Voldemort and about himself. Something that he could not tell any of you."

"Why didn't he want to tell us?" Ginny asked.

"Would you have let him sacrifice himself if you had known he had to die?" Andromeda asked, giving the red haired girl a sideways glance. Ginny's eyes filled with tears and Andromeda shook her head. "Harry knew that too, Ginny. He knew that none of his friends would let him do what he needed to do. You would have all tried to stop him and probably died whilst trying to do it. Harry realised a long time ago that he was a Horcrux. He explained to me it was why he could hear them, or feel them. The connection to Voldemort he shared was because a part of Voldemort's soul lived inside of him."

"So he had to die," George said quietly and looked at his twin brother. Fred had turned around and was now looking at Andromeda.

"He had to die," Andromeda acknowledged. "Right before we left to go to Hogwarts he told me that tonight would be the night. He made me promise that I would do whatever I had to if it meant it would stop Voldemort. Even if it meant killing Harry."

"Hermione didn't know he was a Horcrux?" Tonks asked, furrowing her brow. "They were friends for years. Surely she must have some inclination about what was going on."

"I don't think Hermione ever fully understood Harry's connection to Voldemort. Had she been around whilst he searched for the Horcruxes, she may have understood sooner. I don't think she realised until the last minute, when I told her," Andromeda said and fixed her gaze on the table surface. She stared at a particularly deep cut and tried to imagine it as a cut on her soul that would heal into a scar over time. "When Bellatrix and Narcissa caught Harry I realised there was nothing else I could do. I had to do what he asked of me so I healed Hermione after she got hurt because I needed the Three Cores to be victorious. Bellatrix and Narcissa would be helpless without her."

"Harry was willing to let Hermione win," Molly said quietly. "Why? Why would he let such evil overpower good? He knew what they are capable off. He knew what they did."

"The Three Cores were always going to be stronger than Voldemort but they would only be able to kill him if he was mortal," Andromeda explained. "Harry realised this when Ollivander talked to us about the wands. He believed that they could overpower Voldemort but Voldemort could only ever be dfeated if all the pieces of his soul were destroyed. Hermione believed there to be six pieces. A part of Harry wanted to see her destroyed. He wanted her to lose her strength and for Voldemort to overpower her before he killed Harry. It would mean both sides were destroyed. He expected Bellatrix or Narcissa to then kill Voldemort."

"But all three of them got hurt when they tried to attack Voldemort because not all parts of his soul had been destroyed. Harry was defenceless. The plan he had worked out in his head was falling apart and there was only one thing he could do. He knew he had to face the piece of Voldemort that had latched itself to his soul." Andromeda felt a tear chase down her cheek. "It was something we talked about just once, that night by the fireplace. He asked me just that once. He wanted to know if I was prepared to make that choice." She brushed the tear away. "I wouldn't just be sentencing him to death. I would be destroying everything we ever believed in."

"Harry's plan failed," Ginny whispered and she sank down in the empty chair next to Andromeda. "He had worked it out so carefully and it failed." She shook her head. "He must have been so scared."

"Harry was rarely scared," Tonks said. "He accepted his fate a long time ago. He knew that one day it would be between him and Voldemort. He just never expected it to be like this." She sighed. "When Bellatrix caught him he must have realised that he was never going to make it." She looked across the table at Ginny. "He wanted us to be free from him and in doing so knew that he would have to let Hermione survive instead."

"Did she?" Ginny asked. "Survive, I mean?" She looked at Andromeda. "She got hurt."

"I know." Andromeda remembered Hermione lying on the floor, on her stomach, with the blood spreading around her. The image would forever be burnt into her memory. She stared down at her hands as the tears welled up in her eyes again. The pain in her chest was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. For the first time she felt the raw, cruel pain of loss. "I don't know if she made it."

George glanced out of the kitchen window. "It will be dawn soon. I guess we'll find out soon enough."

Molly looked around the table. Arthur sat slumped in the arm chair nearest the window. Then there were Fred and George, both looking worse for wear. Bill sat next to his dad, his face pale and his eyes empty. His wand rested in his lap. Ginny sat next to Andromeda, her eyes still swollen and red. Tonks had walked around and now stood next to her mother, her hand resting in comfort on her mother's arm. It was all there was left now. The Order of the Phoenix had once been a powerful group of witches and wizards but now it had been reduced to a group of friends who were left to mourn the loss of their loved ones and fear the moment the sun would rise over the horizon, signalling the start of a new day.

"What will happen now?" Ginny asked quietly.

"I don't know," Tonks answered and looked around. "It's been a long day. We should try and get some rest. Whatever is waiting for us out there tomorrow, it will be waiting for us in full force." She glanced at her mother. She had never seen her this defeated and broken. She had been their leader until tonight but Tonks knew instinctively that Andromeda would not be leading them anymore. Her eyes wandered around the worn out faces. "Try and get some sleep. That is all we can do now."

Upstairs was mostly destroyed so Molly waved her wand around. The furniture in the living room, or what was left of it anyway, vanished and was replaced by comfortable mattresses in different shapes and sizes, pillows and blankets. People stood up from their seats, grateful for a place to rest their tired bodies and Andromeda watched as they laid themselves down, on their sides and backs and stomachs. Bill rolled himself in a blanket and turned away from his family. His grief left him unable to speak. Ginny lay curled up in her mother's arms, with her father beside her. She stared into the distance, with an empty look in her eyes. Her tears had finally dried. Tonks had knelt down beside them and spoke softly to Molly but when she looked up and saw the look in her mother's eyes, she left the Weasley's and walked up to her.

"You're going to leave us, aren't you?" she asked softly. "You have this strange look in your eyes."

"It was my idea to go out there tonight, Nymphadora," Andromeda answered and ran her fingers through her tangled hair. "I feel responsible."

"Didn't you just tell us that this would have happened anyway?" Tonks said. "You can't blame yourself for this, mum. It wasn't your fault."

"You tell that to Ginny. Or Molly. Or any of the others who were there tonight. Yes, Harry knew that he would have to make a sacrifice but if we had planned more carefully, maybe Bellatrix would not have caught him. His plan wouldn't have failed."

"And Hermione would be dead."

Andromeda's eyes fluttered shut and the tears silently seeped through her eyelashes. "Yes."

"Is that what you would have wanted?" Tonks said as she looked at her mother.

"What I want is to turn back the hands of time. Turn the clock back," Andromeda said and shook her head. She pushed her chair back and turned to look at her daughter. She tried to smile but she couldn't find the strength. Instead she rested her hand on Tonks' shoulder, leant in and kissed her cheek. It was a goodbye kiss. They both knew it. "I wish none of this had ever happened."

"What will you do?" Tonks asked as she walked her mother to the door. She opened it and they both looked out into the night for a while. In the distance light was beginning to creep over the horizon.

Andromeda sighed. "I think I'll watch the sunrise. It isn't until moments like this that you realise all the things you have taken for granted for far too long." She looked at her daughter. "Look after them, allright?"

"I will, mum," Tonks said and tears glistened in her eyes. "Will you be back?"

"You can count on that," Andromeda said. "Someone has to keep an eye on you, right?"

With those words she stepped out of the Burrow kitchen and onto the surrounding land. She walked slowly towards the corn fields and found the narrow winding path that led through them. Within minutes she had disappeared from her daughter's sight but she kept walking until she reached the other end of the field. She stood at the bottom of a hill and began climbing up. When she reached the top she was high enough to watch the sky change colour and sat down in the dew covered grass to watch the first rays of sunshine appear. A new dawn had broken and nobody knew what it would hold.

~()~

The golden rays of morning sunlight caressed the smouldering ruins of Hogwarts. The castle lay in ruins once more, with black smoke billowing from one of its crumbling towers. Glass littered the grounds and smudges of blood desecrated the walls. An eerie silence lingered as not a single bird sang its usual morning sun. There were no footsteps echoing in destroyed corridors. There were no whispers of joy or grief, no voices that called for those who had been lost.

In the Great Hall Hermione still lay on her stomach, her head resting on her left arm as it lay stretched out. Thick brown curls had fallen in her eyes. The blood around her had begun to dry and stuck to her face, her hands and her clothes. The pain was sharp and spread from her back down to her legs. Her eyes felt heavy and the sunlight hurt. She tried to shield them as she forced herself to peer through her eyelashes. The first thing she saw was the wild display of black curls lying beside her. Bellatrix also lay on her stomach, her face turned towards Hermione but obscured by her raven manes.

Hermione attempted to sit up and groaned in pain when her legs didn't want to move with her. She placed the palms of her hands flat on the floor and pushed herself up. Tears sprung into her eyes as she carefully pulled one leg up, followed by a second. She now sat on all fours, heaving and panting, and took a deep breath before using all her strength to force the upper part of her body off the ground. Now that she sat on her knees, with her mind still spinning, she could fully look around.

"Bella?" Her voice was hoarse. She reached out to touch the older witch. Fingertips touched soft black hair. "Bella?"

The raven haired Death Eater stirred under the sudden touch and one of her hands moved up towards her face to brush the curls out of her eyes. Charcoal eyes opened and took in their surroundings. She blinked once or twice before recognising Hermione's face. She looked dazed as she forced herself to sit up, as if she was waking up from a deep sleep or dream, and let hands run along her arms and chest as she inspected herself for injuries.

"Where's Cissy?" she whispered. Her voice was raspy and she coughed. Panic filled her eyes when she couldn't see her sister immediately. "Where's Cissy?"

"She fell," Hermione said softly. She remembered seeing her, not too far away, landing on her back as her head bounced off a large piece of stone. Her eyes darted around what was left of the Great Hall. There was rubble and debris everywhere. "She's hurt."

Bella staggered to her feet and needed a few seconds to regain her balance. She walked unsteady and when Hermione looked down she realised the dark witch walked on bare feet. She had no idea what had happened to Bellatrix's boots but they had disappeared. As she walked, Bellatrix left bloody footprints in her wake. She trod in glass but kept on walking, desperately looking for her sister.

"Cissy?" No answer came as her voice bounced off the walls. Bellatrix's eyes desperately searched for her sister. "CISSY?"

Hermione clenched her jaw as she forced herself to stand up. The pain in her back was excruciating and her legs didn't feel like they could support her weight for long. She looked down and found she had been lying on her wand. It was covered in blood but she picked it up and pushed it back in its sheath. She carefully inspected her injuries and flinched when her fingers brushed along the deep cut in her stomach. She resisted sliding her digits inside to feel how it deep it was but it hurt enough for her to know it was bad. She tried to walk but the room started spinning and she stretched out a hand, looking for something to hold.

"I found her!" Bellatrix suddenly cried and Hermione turned to her left. Bellatrix had fallen to her knees beside a small pile of rubble and stones and Hermione slowly walked over to her. Every step drew more tears from her eyes and the salt stung in her wounds. When she reached Bellatrix she found her cradling her sister's unconscious body in her arms. Blood stuck to the side of Narcissa's head and clung to her blonde hair. Hermione gasped as she dropped to her knees too and grasped hold of Bellatrix's arms.

"We get one chance at this. If we fail, we die," she whispered as she linked her hand with her Bellatrix's. She felt more vulnerable than she had ever felt before in her life and for the first time she saw the same thing in her lover's eyes. "Hold on to her."

Hermione summoned the image of the Black family mansion from the depths of her mind and felt the familiar sensation of Apparition near her navel. She looked at Bellatrix to reassure her that she had a tight hold of Narcissa and then their surroundings began to spin and blur before Hermione lost touch with the ground. It felt as if she was flying. She felt the cool wind in her air, the rushing of the blood in her ears and the strange tightening knot in her stomach. They behind the dying embers of Hogwarts and reappeared outside the front doors of the mansion that had become their home.

Hermione and Bellatrix carried Narcissa inside and up the stairs. As they laid her body on the four poster bed Hermione placed her fingertips against the blonde witch's neck. She felt a faint heartbeat and released her breath. She was alive. The Three Cores were still united. She turned around to speak to Bellatrix when she became aware of the sharp pain in her stomach and before she could whisper her lover's name she collapsed in her arms.


	30. The Brave Arise

**A/N: **This chapter was strangely hard to write, because there is surprisingly little happening. It is odd how it goes sometimes. It felt almost like a punishment of some kind, borderline boring at some moments. I suppose that's what happens with those in-between pieces. Anyway, nearer the end it picks up again so the next few chapters shouldn't be as much of an issue. Enjoy. ~Cissy

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**Chapter 30**

"**The Brave Arise"**

She woke when she felt rough hands against her cheek. The touch was nothing short of painful and her eyes snapped open, taking in her surroundings, and she sat bolt upright. The pain spread through her body and she flinched. The first thing she saw was the unfamiliar woman standing at the side of her bed. A scarred hand now rested against her forehead as if to take her temperature. Hermione could feel the badly healed blisters and rough patches of skin as the hand grazed across her forehead back down to her cheek. She blinked a few times and slowly the image of the unknown woman became clearer. She was old, well over eighty, with deep lines cut across her face. Lines that told the story of a life full of hardship and suffering. Light green eyes held a remarkable fire of life and Hermione felt a sudden sense of calm invade her chest. She rested back into the pillows of her bed as she continued to study the woman. Her hair was grey and bound back in a simple bun in the back of her neck and she was dressed in old fashioned looking robes. Hermione watched as the woman shuffled around the bed, holding only candle in her hand to light her way across the darkened room.

"Her name is Hilde," said a voice to her left and Hermione looked to find Bellatrix standing beside her. Dressed in a simple dark red night gown and with her raven curls falling freely down her shoulders, Bellatrix looked so much younger beyond her years. In the dim light of the candle standing next to the bed, she looked pale and tired. Hermione's eyes trailed down her lover's arms and observed the healing cuts and bruises. Bellatrix met Hermione's gaze. "She is an old friend of my mother." She looked away from Hermione to watch the old woman shuffle across the room. "She doesn't talk much but she is a gifted healer."

"How long?" Hermione asked softly. She had lost all concept of time. It was dark outside. Through the half open curtains she could see a full moon. Its silver beams of light fell onto the bedroom floor. "How long since…"

"Two days," Bellatrix answered. There was a strange emptiness to her voice. "I feared you were never going to wake up."

The memories flooded back into her mind and she flinched as the scenes began to play before her eyes. The battle and the second the spell had struck her. She heard a voice screaming in the distance but she couldn't remember if it was real or just her imagination. She held her breath as she remembered Narcissa falling. The memory made her eyes snap back to Bellatrix. "Cissy. What happened to her? Where is she?"

"Hilde took care of her. She woke up last night and asked for water. She has not been awake since," Bellatrix answered and looked at Hermione. "Hilde has tended to your wounds."

Hermione carefully pushed the silk sheets away from her body and found she was naked apart from her knickers. She looked down at her stomach and discovered several unsightly scars covering her flesh. She let her fingers run across the raised and swollen skin. She felt no pain. "How did she find us?"

"One of the house elves called for her. Mother used to rely on her expertise when we were little and as we grew up she called for Hilde whenever we were ill. Over the years she became a regular in this house and the elves remembered her," Bellatrix answered. "I do not dare ask myself what would have become of us if they hadn't."

"You need to rest." Hermione was surprised by the clearness of Hilde's voice. She had appeared at her bedside again, her scared and bony hands clutching the candle. The old woman studied Hermione's face. "Your fever has broken. You should start to feel better soon." She gave Hermione a small white phial and the look on her face made it clear she wanted the young brunette to drink it.

"Fever?" Hermione asked and glanced at Bellatrix.

"You were practically delirious," Bellatrix said. "By the time Hilde arrived here your wounds had started to grow infected. She feared the infection had begun to poison your blood and she fed you some of her potions but she could only wait to see if they would work. It could take as long as three days before you woke up." Bellatrix averted her gaze and Hermione observed the tenderness that suddenly flashed across the raven haired woman's face. "She is right. You need rest."

"How is Cissy?" Hermione asked as she turned her head to look at the old woman. She took the stopper out of the bottle but didn't place it against her lips. "Is she going to be allright?"

"It will take time," Hilde answered softly and let a scarred hand run down Hermione's uncovered arm. Green eyes fixed on the brunette's face. "The injury to her head was rather severe. I have given her a potion to keep her asleep for most of the time. It is best she does not wake just yet. The pain will only cause her discomfort." She smiled. "Drink your potion, dear. And Miss Bellatrix, you too should retire to bed. The day has been long."

Bellatrix nodded obediently and then looked at Hermione. "Sleep, my love. Dawn awaits us."

Hermione tiredly smiled, placed the little phial against her lips and drank its content. It tasted sweet and syrupy and the effects were almost instant. Her body felt warm and fuzzy as her eyes became heavy and she only caught a glimpse of Bellatrix as the dark haired woman made her way across the room and disappeared into the darkness. The last thing she saw was the flame from the candle on her bed side table die out.

~()~

She looked up when she heard footsteps on the soggy leaves and stood up. As she turned around the discovered the lone figure walking towards her and a sad smile crept across her face when she recognised her. Her daughter's pink hair went hidden underneath her black hood and sad green eyes looked up to meet her mother's gaze. She had not been back here since the night of the burial but somehow she knew this was the place she knew she would find her mother.

"I knew I'd find you here," Tonks said as she lowered her hood. Her eyes lingered for a long moment on the four gravestones and she sighed. "What are you doing here, mum?"

"Questioning myself," Andromeda answered softly. "I needed somewhere to think about it all, Nymphadora. This felt like the right place to go."

Tonks studied her mother's features. She had never seen so much sadness in her eyes as she did now. Andromeda masked her grief when she was with the remaining members of the Order. She didn't want them to see how broken she really felt. They still relied on her, even now, but she didn't want them to see how little strength she had left. "Why are you questioning yourself?"

"Where are they, Nymphadora?" Andromeda sighed. "It's been two days and they haven't announced themselves." She shook her head and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I had expected them to be all over the Prophet by now. Why hasn't anyone heard of them?"

"You think they're dead?" Tonks whispered.

"If they had found one of their bodies, it would have been all over the Prophet. All that bloody paper does is talk about Harry and Voldemort." Andromeda shook her head. "I don't think anyone even knows Hermione moved to the other side." She reached into the pocket of her robe and pulled out a folded piece of paper. She handed it to her daughter and turned away from her as she opened it.

The headline was printed in large black letters. **Hermione Granger: Missing In Battle? **Tonks looked at the picture underneath the title and realised with sadness that it was an old picture of Hermione, taken not long after Dumbledore had died. It was over a year old. As she looked at the young brunette she remembered what she had once been like. Bright, studious and intelligent but also withdrawn at times as she tried to cope with the pressure of being Harry Potter's best friend. She swallowed the unexpected lump in the back of her throat away and looked back up only to find her mother looking at the gravestones.

"They think she's missing?" she whispered. "You mean that the Ministry doesn't know that she's been siding with Bellatrix for all this time?" She glanced back at the article. "Or are they choosing not to know?"

"If they know then they are deliberately ignoring it," Andromeda said quietly. "The Ministry isn't what it was. Before all of this happened, after Scrimgeour died, I was convinced they would make Kingsley the new Minister of Magic." She sighed. "But they've chosen Albert McGuinnes now. He was in my year at Hogwarts. Not the sharpest tool in the box but fiercely loyal. I remember Albus trying to recruit him into the Order the first time around. He never officially signed up but he always supported us. If he knows about Hermione, I can't imagine why he would lie about it."

"Because she is the people's only hope now that Harry is dead," Tonks said and felt the tears well up in her eyes. "Where Harry went, Hermione and Ron went too. Every witch or wizard in England knew it. They're gone now and Hermione is their only reminder of the battle against Voldemort. A symbol of survival. If the Ministry knows she is siding with Bellatrix, they are using this to hide it."

Andromeda turned to look at her daughter. "She's alive, Nymphadora. I know she is."

"Then where is she?"

"I wish I knew. My guess is that she's hurt and she has to recover. Bellatrix and Narcissa got hurt too that night. Wherever they are, they are trying to heal their wounds." Andromeda looked down at the ground. It had rained for most of the night and the soil was soggy. ""They'll come sooner rather than later. I know Bellatrix. If she wants something, she will stop at nothing to get it."

Tonks furrowed her brow. "Then what is it she wants?"

Andromeda's eyes drifted up from the gravestones to the sky. "The world."

~()~

She woke when the warm and tender rays of sunshine caressed her face. Lazily her eyes fluttered open and she blinked before slowly taking in her surroundings. She lay wrapped up in the soft silk bed sheets, the material caressed her bare skin, and she brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes as she sat up. Her muscles didn't protest and she slowly stretched. Her eyes drifted around the room and came to a rest on the arm chair by the window. A smile spread across her face when she recognised the figure clad in black, their head resting in the palm of their hand and their eyes closed. Only when she slept did Bellatrix Lestrange look innocent and pure.

Hermione slipped out of the bed and her feet made contact with the wooden floor. She took a careful step followed by another and found that though her back ached slightly, she could walk without too much discomfort. She padded across the room and reached the chair where her lover sat. She gently brushed a strand of hair out of the older woman's face and watched with adoration as charcoal eyes opened and met her own.

"You're awake," Bellatrix whispered and grasped Hermione's hand between her own.

Hermione smiled. "Yeah." She glanced to the window. "Dawn has broken."

Bellatrix nodded and lifted herself up out of the chair before letting her lips meet Hermione's. The kiss was surprisingly gentle and she wrapped her arms around the brunette's bare back, pressing her tighter against her chest. Hermione inhaled Bellatrix's deep scent and felt herself relax into her arms.

"Cissy woke early this morning," Bellatrix whispered as she cupped Hermione's hand with her cheek. She rested her forehead against that of the younger woman and Hermione shivered as she felt Bellatrix's warm breath against her skin. "Hilde briefly spoke to her but says she is making a good recovery. We can see her, if you want."

Hermione nodded, slipped out of the bed and quickly put on a pair of jeans and black long sleeved shirt that lay at the end of the bed. Bellatrix took her hand as she led her out of the room. They crossed the long landing and Bellatrix opened one of the doors. The room was dark, with only a few candles strategically placed around to light it. Hermione's eyes fixed on the bed and she recognised Narcissa's sleeping form. Her hand slipped out of Bellatrix's and she rushed across the room. When she reached the side of the bed she looked down at the blonde witch. Narcissa looked pale, with dark circles around her eyes. Her lips were dried and chipped and cuts and bruises covered her face. Her blonde hair lay sprawled out over the pillow, creating a strangely angelic appearance.

Hermione softly touched the older woman's hand and Narcissa stirred. Blue eyes opened and she appeared dazed for a moment before recognising Hermione. She smiled weakly. "We made it."

"Yes, we did," Bellatrix whispered from behind Hermione and snaked an arm around the brunette's waist. "We're still together."

Hermione looked from Bellatrix to Narcissa and back. "We'll always be together."

"What are we going to do?" Narcissa whispered. Her voice was raw and hoarse and her blue eyes had lost their shine.

"Let them think they have won," Bellatrix said sharply. Hermione turned to look at her and watched as the dark witch's eyes glistened with hatred. "The Ministry has been reformed. That fool McGuinnes is Minister of Magic now and according to the Prophet Hermione was lost in battle. They have buried the bodies of the Dark Lord and Harry Potter and they believe it is over."

Hermione shook her head. "It has only just begun."

Narcissa reached for Bellatrix's hand. "What happens now?"

"We wait," the dark haired witch answered. "Wait until they least expect it and then we will overthrow the ministry. We will erase every trace of the Wizarding World as it was once known." The venom laced her words. "There are armies out there waiting for us. Waiting to rule like no other allowed them to rule." She reached into her dress and drew her wand. It rested in her open palm and its tip began to glow, illuminating her face. "Everything will fall apart."

Hermione felt her heartbeat quicken and she turned herself towards the older woman. Her hand slipped away from Narcissa's and her hazel eyes met Bellatrix's charcoal orbs. Their gaze spoke more than a thousand words could ever say. They shared the passion, the desire and the longing as well as the hatred. Hermione reached for the wand in Bellatrix's hand and let her fingers run along the wood. Though it was not her own she could feel the magic in her fingers, she could feel it spread through her veins and seep into her heart. Her eyes fluttered shut as she let the feeling overwhelm her. They were part of the same heart, of the same soul. They belonged together and their hearts beat in the same rhythm.

"We must begin communications with those who escaped after the battle," Bellatrix said, her eyes still fixed on Hermione. "The Prophet mentions the Ministry's attempts to arrest the remaining Death Eaters. Many have absconded abroad or are hiding."

"How do we find them?" Hermione asked. Her slender fingers peeled the sleeve f Bellatrix's dress back and revealed her bare forearm. The Dark Mark had disappeared the night the Dark Lord had severed his ties but she understood now that the marks of those who had survived that night at Hogwarts would have faded too. It no longer bound them to the Dark Lord now that he was dead. She let her fingers trail over the raised scar. "We have no means of locating them."

"We'll travel," Bellatrix said slowly and her eyes darted to the window. The sun had risen high over the horizon and the sky was an intense shade of blue. No longer did strings of grey mist press against their windows. The world believed a new dawn had broken. "I know must of their hiding places. Once we find one or two and tell them what they want to hear, the others will find us."

"Cissy can't travel," Hermione hissed. "She is too weak."

"Then we will travel alone until she is strong enough," Bellatrix answered determinedly. "We cannot wait."

"Bella…" Hermione whispered but the older woman turned on her heel and stalked out of the bedroom. Hermione sensed her aggression and after casting final glance at Narcissa lying in bed she rushed after Bellatrix and met her on the landing. She grabbed her by her lower arm and forced her to turn around. When their gazes locked she saw the blazing anger behind Bellatrix's eyes.

"What is this madness?" Hermione demanded. "What has gotten into you, Bellatrix?"

"We allowed ourselves to become weak. Look what became of us!" Bellatrix snapped. "Had it not been for Hilde, we would've been dead. Our souls would have been torn apart!"

"I would have been dead a lot sooner if Andromeda had not healed me," Hermione reminded Bellatrix. "We only survived because she made that choice!"

The mention of her sister only brought more hatred to Bellatrix's eyes. "She did it out of_ love_!"

"Wasn't that what you wanted? For her to love me?" Hermione answered back.

"What I wanted was for the Order to crumble and fall," Bellatrix replied, placing her hands firmly on her hips. "What I wanted was for the world to drop to its knees and bleed. I wanted the absolute power. I wanted to conquer, to claim what belongs to us. I wanted to overthrow the Dark Lord and have you at my side!"

"We did all of those things!" Hermione stared at Bellatrix in confusion. "The Order has been all but destroyed. They will forever mourn the loss of their friends and loved ones. Even with the Ministry reformed they will never become what they once were. The world will fall, Bella. It will fall and it will slowly bleed to death at our feet." She took a step towards the raven haired woman. "And I am at your side. I will always be at your side."

"Promise me," Bellatrix whispered as she let her index finger slide down Hermione's jaw. It came to a rest across the brunette's lips and she leant in. Her breath was hot against Hermione's skin. "Promise me forever."

"Forever," Hermione breathed and then her lips found Bellatrix's.

Bellatrix arms closed around the brunette's waist and she pulled her towards one of the rooms. The door gave way silently and she spun Hermione around once they were inside. The brunette slammed with her back into the door and her hands tangled in Bellatrix's black curls as their kiss grew in intensity. The room wasn't used and the furniture and paintings were covered in white sheets. A thick layer of dust covered the large chandelier that hung from the ceiling.

Bellatrix's hands journeyed up from Hermione's hips to her chest and caressed the swell of her breasts through her shirt. When they broke apart Hermione was panting and let the thick curls run through her fingers. Their gazes locked and Hermione could see the passion and the desire flickering deep inside the other woman's soul. She brought their lips back together for another kiss and shivered when she felt Bellatrix's fingers against the bare flesh of her stomach.

"I've missed you," Bellatrix whispered as her lips moved down to the side of Hermione's neck. She sucked on the pulsating vein, feeling her lover's heartbeat on the tip of her tongue, and Hermione threw her head back in passion. Bellatrix's hands slowly pushed up her shirt, revealing her scarred stomach and eventually her breasts. She wasn't wearing a bra and she moaned softly when Bellatrix's nails grazed over her nipples. They hardened immediately and the dark haired woman let out a throaty chuckle.

"I will always be here," Hermione answered softly as Bellatrix's fingers followed the scars that desecrated her flesh. They reached her jeans and slowly unbuttoned them before reaching for the zip. Her breath hitched as the older woman's left hand followed the curve of her breast, softly massaging her nipples as she did so, whilst her right hand slipped behind her jeans. Dark eyes widened at the absence of underwear and Hermione bit down on her lip when she felt Bellatrix's fingers reach her core.

"Never leave me," Bellatrix said roughly as she placed her lips against Hermione's earlobe. She let her index finger slide softly inside her young lover and watched as the brunette's eyes widened. She thrusted deep inside of her. Hermione rested her head back against the door, arching her back into the touch, and groaned wildly when Bellatrix pinched one of her nipples between her fingers. A soft cry escaped her when Bellatrix entered a second finger and the thrusts became more urgent and intense.

Hermione pulled up one leg and wrapped it around Bellatrix's waist as her thrusts continued. Her hands tangled firmly in the older woman's hair as she tried to support herself. She felt the climax build up deep inside of her. The sensation mixed with pain as her body responded to Bellatrix's touches. Sweat glistened on her forehead and her body slammed back into the door with every thrust. Her moans became louder and were only muffled when Bellatrix's bruising lips covered hers.

"Never leave me," Bellatrix whispered into Hermione's ear when she sensed the young woman was about to orgasm. "Promise me." Her ministrations continued, becoming more rapid as the seconds past, and Hermione dug her nails deeply into Bellatrix's shoulders. "Promise me now."

"I…promise…" Hermione barely managed to whisper her response when her body crashed down and she landed into the earth shattering sensation of her orgasm. She shuddered as she collapsed against Bellatrix's strong body and the older woman supported her, letting the brunette's head rest against her shoulder. Hermione was panting and feeling the material of Bellatrix's dress against her bare breasts brought another shiver to her spine. "I promise I will never leave you."

"Good," Bellatrix whispered as she let her fingers run through Hermione's hair. "We belong together, my love. Part of the same heart, the same soul. You will always be a part of me."

~()~

Darkness fell and the last rays of sunshine disappeared behind the horizon. Andromeda stood outside the Burrow, allowing the night time wind to play with her hair. She had followed Tonks home after she had found her at the cemetery but could barely stand being in the same room as the Weasleys. The grief in their eyes broke her heart whenever she looked at them and although her daughter tried to bring them back together, Andromeda felt as if her choice to help Harry had forever pushed them apart. She knew, deep down, that they understood what she had done and why but she could see it in their eyes whenever they looked at her, the sense of betrayal and hurt over what she had done. She enjoyed the quiet moments she got to herself but there was little left of the house to retreat in so she went outside. The fresh air cleared her mind and allowed her to cry without anyone seeing her.

The setting sun painted the skies in shades of amber and fiery red and she looked at the hills that surrounded the Burrow. It was when her eyes lingered on the horizon that she spotted the lone figure standing there. Dressed in a black dress and with their hair billowing behind them in the wind, creating the image of a… _warrior._

"Hermione," Andromeda whispered as she recognised the figure watching her from afar. Her heart leapt up in her chest only to then cry out in pain. She took a few steps towards the hill, desperate to see the young woman up close, to see if she was allright. Something inside of her stopped her and she froze in her tracks. Behind her the front door opened and Tonks emerged.

"Mum, are you allright?"

"Look!" Andromeda said and pointed at the top of the hill. "Please tell me I'm not dreaming and you can see her too!"

"I see her," Tonks said slowly. Her eyes narrowed. "What is she doing here? What does she want?"

"She's sending a message," Andromeda answered and kept her eyes peeled on Hermione. Against the darkening backdrop she looked strong and powerful as she rolled her wand through her fingers.

Tonks arched an eyebrow. "A message? What kind of message?"

"She's telling us they're ready," Andromeda said slowly and her eyes darkened. "They're coming."


	31. Surrender of Hope

**A/N:** Consider this the onset for what is to come.  
For those of you who have read one of my older stories, "Black Blood," I have written an original plot with original characters based upon that fanfic. I plan on rewriting it as an independent novel.

* * *

**Chapter 31**

"**Surrender of Hope"**

Hermione had only just managed to still Bellatrix's wandering mind. The raven haired Death Eater had been eager to leave the safety of the mansion and search the surface of the Earth for those who had once been loyal to Lord Voldemort but had absconded since his downfall. She reminded her how Narcissa needed them. They couldn't leave her. Bellatrix had nearly lost sight of what brought them closest together, what had brought them to this very moment, and only when Hermione brought their three wands back together in the way they were destined to be, did Bellatrix agree to wait.

She didn't know Hermione had disappeared one of the nights to find Andromeda. Hermione didn't quite understand why she had done it. A longing, deep inside, to see the woman who had saved her life and who had loved her throughout all her betrayal. She had seen her eyes, even from where she stood, and she had seen the pain flash behind them before the anger returned. She had watched her for a mere few moments as the seconds began to tick away. When she left she knew she had brought fear to their hearts once more and tonight she sat beside Bellatrix, her wand resting in her lap, as they watched Narcissa walk around the spacious living room. Night had fallen outside and the only light in the room came from the candles standing on the tables. The small yellow flames created strange shadows on the walls.

It was the second day she was out of bed. Hilde seemed satisfied that she had made enough progress to wander around the house. She had discouraged the use of Magic but Narcissa had spent the last hour Apparating to and from various rooms to test her strength. Hermione could see the discomfort written across her face as she walked but Narcissa didn't speak. When she turned around, wand drawn, her blue eyes fixed on the young brunette's face. What she saw was a mixture of desire, passion and anger.

"I request a duel," Narcissa said as she rolled her wand through her fingers. Behind Hermione, Bellatrix stood up, ready to intervene, but Narcissa raised a hand to silence her sister's protest. "Our wands cannot fatally wound one another. There is no safer way to test my abilities."

"Cissy, are you sure this is wise?" Hermione asked as she studied the blonde witch's face.

"What would be unwise is to send me into battle without knowing I can survive," Narcissa said bitterly and her eyes narrowed. "It is considered rude to deny a witch or wizard a duel, my love." She cocked her head. "Rise!"

Hermione stood up, drew her wand from the inside of her sleeve and flicked it. Furniture moved across the room and aligned itself with the longest walls, creating a large open space in the middle of the room. Above their hands hung a diamond chandelier and its candles flickering mysteriously as the two witches stepped into the newly created space. Hermione felt Bellatrix's eyes burn into her back and sensed the older woman's disapproval but this was what Narcissa needed to test herself, to trust herself once again. She would give her anything she wanted.

"Impedimenta!"

Narcissa was quick but Hermione observed the jerking in her arm the second before the shouted her incantation and her own arm shot up in defence, casting a strong Shield Charm between them. The spell bounced off the silver shell and dissolved in mid-air. Hermione spun on the tip of her toes, almost like a ballerina, and the Shield Charm disappeared at the same time she cast her spell.

"Stupefy!"

Hazel brown eyes fixed on the jet as it shot across the room and a smile spread across her face when Narcissa leapt aside, flicked her wand and countered the spell with a jinx of her own. The two jets collided and turned into one, changing colour from red to shade of ocean blue. The spell changed course and shot back across the room, much like a tennis ball during a match, and Hermione found herself having to use a lot of strength to conjure a Shield Charm strong enough to defend herself. Appreciation flickered in her eyes. She was panting slightly and smiled. A sense of power and lust began to invade her chest. "Very good, Cissy."

She was caught off guard by the next spell and felt a sharp pain shoot through her stomach as the spell crashed into her. Her knees buckled and she collapsed, clutching the area that hurt with both her hands. Hazel eyes widened in shock and horror as she dropped down to the ground, heaving. The bile rose in the back of her throat and she had to support herself with her hands, Down on all fours and with the pain spreading through her veins like burning acid, the tears welled up in her eyes.

"Enough!" Bellatrix barked and she stepped in between the two duelling lovers with her own wand drawn. "You have proven yourself, Narcissa." Dark eyes fixed on her sister's face. In the golden candle light Narcissa looked almost angelic. Her blonde hair framed her face and the soft light brought out the intense blue of her eyes. "We leave tomorrow at night fall."

She turned and helped Hermione to her feet. The young brunette wrapped an arm around Bellatrix's neck in support and hissed through clenched teeth as Bellatrix let her fingers wander across her stomach. Her flesh was hot to the touch. Narcissa's spell had not broken the skin but it had triggered the old injuries she had suffered in earlier fights. She swallowed hard and let her eyes drift up to meet Narcissa's gaze.

"You have done well."

Narcissa crossed the room and closed the distance between herself, Bellatrix and Hermione. When she reached the younger witch she slid two fingers under Hermione's chin and slowly she leant in. Her dark pink lips brushed against Hermione's in a feather light kiss and she cupped the brunette's cheek with her hand. Instantly the pain in Hermione's stomach subsided and her eyes fluttered shut. Longingly she leant into the kiss and felt Bellatrix's grip tighten around her waist. She knew that although the raven haired witch allowed her to spend time with Narcissa, she did not like sharing. Bellatrix's jealousy brought desire to Hermione's heart.

"Come," Narcissa whispered as she searched for Hermione's hand. Her fingers entwined with Hermione's and Hermione stepped away from Bellatrix's supportive arms. She followed Narcissa to the door leading out of the living room but turned around before leaving and her eyes locked with Bellatrix's across the length of the room. The dark haired witch fingered her wand but slid it back in the sheath she had attached to her skirts and followed Hermione and her sister out of the room.

~()~

The silver moonlight filtered through the half open curtains and illuminated the bed. Outside the rain lashed against the darkened glass and in the distance the thunder rumbled. A lonely candle stood on the bedside table, its golden flame bringing out the passion and longing in their eyes. In its weak light their naked bodies appeared to be carved out of the most precious marble as they moved together in perfect unison, light beads of sweat dusting their skin.

Hermione straddled Narcissa and looked down at the woman underneath her. Golden hair rippled across the satin pillow case and blue eyes had darkened with desire. Narcissa's hands rested on Hermione's hips, pressing her body firmer against her own. Brown curls cascaded down her back as she moved slowly against Narcissa's warm flesh. A hand cupped her breast, fingers grazed over her nipples, and Hermione turned her head to see Bellatrix lying on her side with one arm draped across Narcissa's chest and the other on Hermione's. Her ruby lips had parted slightly.

A shiver crept down Hermione's spine when Narcissa's hands journey softly across her stomach and caressed the unsightly scars that desecrated her skin. Her breath hitched when she felt her fingers dip between her thighs and she gasped softly when her blonde haired lover entered her. For a brief moment her eyes closed but when she opened them again she found Narcissa gazing up at her passionately. The blonde woman's body rocked softly and Hermione observed Bellatrix's hand pressing between her sister's thighs. She arched her back, devouring the touch, and moaned softly when Bellatrix's free hand caressed her hardened nipples.

The touches were softly and gentle, unlike the display of anger and jealousy shown earlier, and Hermione pressed her pelvis down against Narcissa's hand. A soft whimper escaped from the blonde witch's throat when Bellatrix increased her thrusts and Narcissa's back arched up and away from the mattress. Strands of blonde hair fell into her eyes and Hermione let hands wander across her lover's stomach before cupping her breasts. Narcissa's dark pink nipples hardened under her touch. Narcissa stilled the ministrations between Hermione's legs as her body was brought closer to its climax and Hermione watched with lust filled eyes how Bellatrix pushed her sister over the edge. Narcissa collapsed back into the pillows, blue eyes wide open and lighter than Hermione had ever seen them. A fine layer of sweat covered her skin.

Hermione carefully slid off Narcissa's body and lay down between the blonde and Bellatrix. Immediately Bellatrix's arm wrapped itself around Hermione's waist, pulling her nearer. She lay facing the raven haired woman with Narcissa behind her and felt the blonde's fingers caress the small of her back. Hermione brought one leg up and wrapped it around Bellatrix's waist. Hungry lips crashed together as Bellatrix's fingertips danced along the inside of Hermione' thigh before entering her. Hermione's teeth sank down into Bellatrix's bottom lip and she tasted the other woman's blood on her tongue. She felt Narcissa's soft lips kiss the back of her neck and a fine shaped hand crept across her chest and cupped her breast.

Hermione's hand travelled across Bellatrix's shoulder and her waist until she reached her hips. Slowly she let her fingers find their path across her lover's stomach before eventually encountering the damp core between her legs. Bellatrix's nails dug into her back when she entered her and she froze her touches for a mere second before matching Hermione's rhythm with her own. Their lips never abandoned their searing kiss and Hermione's free hand tangled in thick, black curls. Their bodies moved together in urgency and desire and Narcissa pressed herself into Hermione's back, still cupping the younger witch's breasts. The sensation of Narcissa's damp centre against her rounded backside brought a shiver to Hermione's spine.

Hermione felt Bellatrix's muscles tighten around her hands and her lips finally abandoned Bellatrix's mouth only to attack the side of her neck. She felt her lover's racing heartbeat against the tip of her tongue as she sucked down on the pulsating vein and cried out softly when Bellatrix's teeth sank down into the flesh on her shoulder. Narcissa's nails grazed across her nipples just as her body exploded into its climax and she shuddered, clinging onto her lover's body for support. Bellatrix's muscles relaxed and a throaty moan filled the room as Bellatrix rested her body against Hermione's.

When their racing hearts once again settled peacefully in their chests, they wrapped their bodies in the sating sheets and succumbed themselves to sleep. Hermione's head rested on Bellatrix's chest, her arm draped almost lovingly around her waist. Narcissa arm had snaked around Hermione's stomach, her fingers covering some of the horrid scars, and her head rested against the brunette's shoulder. The candlelight caressed their sleeping features in a rare and tender moment of innocence.

~()~

Dawn broke with the arrival of more rain. Grey mist pressed against the bedroom window and it was Hermione who woke first. Hazel eyes opened slowly and she became aware of the two body pressing against her own. For a few moments she studied both her lover's faces before carefully climbing over Bellatrix's sleeping form and walking to the window. Wrapped in nothing more than a sheet she climbed into the low windowsill and stared through the rain covered glass out into the world. Her brown hair fell in wild strands down her face and she let her fingers dance across the cold glass. Out there lay a world that would soon belong to her. A world waited to be taken and to be tainted, to be changed. Her eyes drifted back to the bed and she watched the two sisters sleep.

Without really realising it her mind drifted back to the moment she had last laid eyed on Andromeda. Standing on top of the hill as darkness fell she had looked into the eyes of a woman who loved her in a different way than the two sleeping sisters in the bed loved her. She did not question they were loyal to her but she knew their hearts did not beat for her in the same way Andromeda's beat for her. Hermione averted her eyes and glanced back out of the window. The skies were grey and large muddy pools of water covered a large part of the beautiful gardens. From where she sat she had a perfect view of the fountain. A smile spread across her face as she imagined the world one morning, waking up to its new destiny. This world belonged to her.

~()~

They waited until nightfall before leaving the safety of the Mansion. Dressed in matching dark robes and with Hermione wearing a corset that protected her stomach, the three witches Dissapparated into the night. They reappeared in a forest somewhere in the south of England and pulled up their hoods before they started walking. Bellatrix led the small group. She had explained to Hermione that after the fall of the Dark Lord all those years ago, a large group of Death Eaters took refuge in an abandoned monastery. It was there that the plan to attack the Longbottoms was hatched. She had not been here for all this time but she found her way easily through the trees until they reached what looked like a tow path alongside a canal.

"It's behind that hill," Bellatrix pointed out and withdrew her wand from her sleeve. Hermione and Narcissa followed and they followed the narrow towpath until they reached the bottom of the hill. It wasn't much of a climb and when they reached the top they looked down into what could only be described as an enclosed valley. Surrounded by hills and trees on all sides, the monastery in the middle was perfectly sheltered. Bellatrix started walking down the hill and the other two witches followed. When they reached the valley Hermione sensed a change in the atmosphere and she opened the palm of her hand. Her wand starting spinning around and she froze in her tracks. Bellatrix stopped too and turned to see what was going on.

"Look!" Hermione whispered and stared at her wand. "Is it trying to tell us something?"

"The place is enchanted," Bellatrix said and chuckled. "They think they can keep us out."

"Us?" Narcissa questioned as she arched an eyebrow. "Or the Order?"

Bellatrix didn't answer and opened the palm of her own hand. Her wand too started spinning and Narcissa mirrored her sister and Hermione. Their three wands spun around a few more times before coming to a sudden stop, pointing in three different directions. Then three silver jets burst from the tips of their wand, seared across the dark night and whizzed around the monastery in different angles. Quiet explosions of spells dissolving could be heard and after a few minutes the three jets vanished. Only silence remained.

"That's one way to use Finite Incantatem," Hermione whispered as she looked at the wand in her hand. "How do you think it knew?"

"I wouldn't be at all surprised if there are things about these wands we don't know," Bellatrix answered with a dark voice. "If only we still had that bloody wand maker!" For a few moments they just stared at the monastery and then Bellatrix looked at Hermione. "Well, let's see if anyone's home."

They crossed the soggy grass fields that surrounded the building with their wands drawn but there was no magic that alarmed those inside to their presence. When they reached the wooden front doors Bellatrix placed the tip of her wand against the door handle. Hermione never heard her whisper the spell but the locks unlocked themselves and the door creaked as it opened. Inside, darkness awaited them and Hermione whispered, "Lumos."

The tip of her wand began to glow and she looked around. The first thing she thought was that the inside of the monastery looked like Hogwarts. The same stone walls and a similar staircase that led to a second floor. The interior wasn't as grand as the castle but there was something striking about the building nonetheless. The walls were bare. No paintings or other ornaments. Not even a candle holder or a torch that they could use to illuminate their path. Bellatrix closed the door behind them before turning around. The tip of her wand was glowing too and she pointed at the staircase. Narcissa had walked up to the one other door in the downstairs entrance area and Hermione watched as she opened it. The blonde disappeared inside and Bellatrix, who had been about to climb the stairs, changed her mind and followed her sister. Hermione was the last to enter.

They were standing in a small chapel, complete with stained glass window depicting a Biblical scene. A small altar stood on the other side of the room, a large crucifix on top of it. A few wooden benches lined either side of the small room. There was nobody here but them and Hermione turned around, ready to leave the room. Bellatrix and Narcissa followed and they once again stood in the entrance hall.

"Are you sure this is where they'd go?" Hermione whispered. Bellatrix had already started for the stairs.

"Positive." Her voice was void of doubt.

The three witches climbed the staircase and reached the second floor. The landing changed into a long and narrow corridor that turned off to both he left and the right. Either side had a number of simple wooden doors. Here the walls were bare too. Bellatrix looked to the right and then left and summoned Hermione and Narcissa to follow her. She started down the corridor and reached the first door within five steps. Placing the tip of her wand against the lock, Hermione heard it open. Bellatrix's fingers closed around the door handle and she pushed against the wood. It gave way and revealed the most basic of bedrooms, with just a single bed and some simple sheets and a small desk. She was about to turn away when she discovered the sleeping form of a man on the bed.

"Incarcerous!" Bellatrix whispered.

The metal chains shot from the tip of her wand and wound them themselves around the sleeping man's body, His eyes snapped open and he attempted to sit up but the chains bound him down to the bed. The sound of a wand falling from his hand and landing on the wooden floor echoed around the room and Hermione moved closer to the bed. The tip of her wand illuminated the man's face and she turned around to look at Bellatrix.

"It's Yaxley."

"Could be better but it's a start," Bellatrix answered and grinned deviously. "Get up!"

Yaxley was dragged to his feet by the sheer strength of Bellatrix's magic and he fought to free himself from the chains. The rattling sounded around the room, echoing off the walls in an almost haunting manner. Blazing eyes stared at the former Death Eater. "What are you playing at, Bellatrix?"

"A little reunion," Bellatrix answered with a grin. "How many others are here?"

"Why would I tell you?" Yaxley bit back.

Hermione moved closer to him and pressed the tip of her wand into his neck. The scent of burning flesh filled the room and pain spread across the male Death Eater's face. Hermione's hazel eyes met his. She relished in his fear and the discomfort he experienced. "I suggest you tell her everything she wants to know and, if you're lucky, I might let you live!"

"Ten. There are ten others," Yaxley struggled to speak. He relaxed when Hermione withdrew her wand and released his breath. His grey eyes fixed on the dark haired woman standing in the open door. "What do you want, Bellatrix?"

"I want everyone that is hiding between these walls." She brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. "What's the alarm?"

Yaxley hung his head in defeat. "The same as before. The bell in the tower. When it rings three times it means we have to gather."

Hermione's eyes locked with Bellatrix's and she nodded without the raven haired woman having to ask. She filed past her into the corridor and felt Bellatrix's hand briefly caress the small of her back. The smile still lingered on her lips as she quietly ran across the corridor towards a small and narrow stone staircase. When they had stood outside the monastery she had seen the tower and the bell that hung there. She reached the steps and began running up them. It spiralled up, higher and higher, and her lungs pressed against her ribcage the longer she walked. The back of her throat became dry and when she finally reached the top of the tower she rested her hand against the wall and allowed herself a minute to regain her strength. The pain in her stomach was dull and she rubbed her corset though it did nothing to take the discomfort away.

The bell hung high above her head but a thick rope had been attached to it. She walked across the wooden floor towards the rope, flicked her wand and watched how the magic circled up across it before reaching the bell. The first ring brought an unexpected shiver down her spine and she closed her eyes for the briefest of moments as the sound rang out. It was followed by a second explosion of sound, a short silence and then a third. She spun back around and started down the staircase. As she came closer to the floor below she recognised the sound of doors opening and footsteps echoing through the corridor. She continued her way down until she reached the final step. The stairs were hidden away in the shadows but it gave her a perfect view into the long corridor. She recognised at least three different figures walking towards the room where Bellatrix and Narcissa held Yaxley, the tips of their wands glowing.

She aimed her wand at the Death Eater nearest to her and quietly whispered, "Petrificus Totalis!"

The bright flash of light crashed into the Death Eater's back and he slumped forward. His two companions spun around, alarmed, and Hermione could see their faces. She recognised the one on the left as MacNair and the other one was Goyle. Neither was known for their particular intelligence and she smirked as she watched how they tentatively came closer. The shadows surrounded her and they couldn't see her. She aimed her wand again and repeated her spell. With a thud, MacNair fell backwards and his wand rolled away from him. Goyle was about to lift up his arm when Hermione Stunned him. His body fell forward and she heard the soft cracking of his nose as the bones broke.

Hermione left her hiding spot and walked up to the two Death Eaters closest to her. She knew that though their bodies were frozen, their minds were not and she chuckled softly as she went about conjuring up chains. She summoned the third man's body and once the three Death Eaters were safely tied together she levitated them into the air and started down the corridor to join Bellatrix and Narcissa.

"Look what I found," she said as she lowered the threesome to the ground. Bellatrix turned around in surprise.

"Well, well," she mused and flicked her wand to lift the Body Bind Curses. The three grown men whimpered like children. "Looks like everyone's come to join the party."

Hermione noticed that Narcissa aimed her wand at a group of eight Death Eaters in total, all wrapped up in chains. Their wands lay at her feet and two or three sported bleeding injuries on their face. Yaxley sat to the far right, his eyes fixed on the three witches.

"What do you want, Bellatrix?"

"Didn't he ask me that already?" Bellatrix smirked and rolled her wand through her fingers. "Well, what I want, Yaxley, is your loyalty."

He scoffed. "Really? Our _loyalty,_ Bellatrix? You betrayed the Dark Lord! He cut you off and now you're saying you want our loyalty?"

"The Dark Lord feared what he knew he could not defeat," Bellatrix answered. She was surprisingly calm but Hermione detected the menacing tone in her voice. "Let me put it this way. Either you join with us or you die." Her wand shot up and she aimed it at Yaxley's chest. "It's up to you." She watched the sudden fear flash behind his eyes. "But don't take too long. I'm rather impatient and I haven't got all night."

"Why would we join you?" MacNair challenged her and Hermione snapped her head.

"Who said that you could speak?" she barked and poked her wand into MacNair's neck. He flinched at her sudden aggression. "If I want your opinion, I'll tell you when!"

"The Dark Lord couldn't give you what we can give you," Bellatrix said and her charcoal eyes wandered around the room as she studied the faces of the men who had once sat alongside her. They had fought side by side before the Three Cores changed the course of destiny. "He promised you a world in which you could be powerful. He knew he could not give you that world once he found out there was something out there that was stronger than he was." She paused. "We can give you that world. We can give you that world and so much more. Join us and you will have your own army of men. You will have gold, more than you could ever have dreamed off. But most of all you will have power."

Hermione stepped towards Bellatrix and a dark grin spread across her face. "Join us and the world is yours to take."


	32. Echoes of the Dead

**A/N:** There was no first name known for Yaxley, the Death Eater we have seen a lot in this story as well as in the books/movies. I took it upon myself to give him a first name and chose the Roman first name _Icarus_, which is the Latin form of the Greek_ Ikaros_, meaning "follower." Seems rather fitting, don't you think?  
Jugson is also a confirmed Death Eater who made appearances in the books and movies. He too did not have a first name. I decided to give him a rather fitting Roman first name too. I chose _Pericles, _the Latin form of the Greek _Perikles_ meaning "surrounded by glory."

**A/N2**: I did a little research on the lay out of the Ministry of Magic and the Atrium is located on the eighth floor. It is where people arrive into and leave the Ministry either via the fireplaces or other means of transport, the large room with either the fountain or the Magic is Might statue. Also, the various ways of entering the Ministry are based on the methods we see used in Order of the Phoenix and Deathly Hallows part 2. Hermione's explanation about the ways of gaining entrance into the Ministry is based upon the information given on the various Harry Potter Wiki sites as well as scenes and explanations taken from the books. In Order of the Phoenix, Harry and Mr Weasley use the visitor's entrance in the phone box to make their way into the Atrium and the inside of the phone box can be clearly seen descending into the Ministry.

* * *

**Chapter 32**

"**Echoes of the Dead"**

It was inevitable that it would happen but still, leaving this place behind filled her heart with more sorrow than she had ever imagined possible. She turned around one last time, a tear glistening in the corner of her eye and watched the ruins of the Burrow. The Weasley home had suffered greatly throughout the war and though it had been their safe haven in the last few days, it could no longer occupy them. The previous night part of the roof had collapsed and almost crushed Ginny as she slept. There wasn't enough magic in the world that could bring this home back to what it had once been. Sure, it could restore the walls but it could not erase the grief that would live between them. Andromeda tore her eyes away from the house and looked back at the small group of people walking a few metres ahead of her.

Molly was supporting Arthur, his arm safely draped around her neck. Ginny walked alongside him, clutching a small bag. Fred and George walked ahead of the rest of their family and Bill trailed behind in his parents' wake. He had barely spoken since the death of Fleur and Andromeda worried about him but she did not burden anyone with her thoughts. The Weasleys struggled to cope with the loss of their friends and loved ones enough as it was and she needn't worry them about their son. She realised that her daughter, who had been walking alongside Bill, had stopped and turned around. Andromeda heaved a sigh and walked up to meet her.

"Seems strange, doesn't it?" Tonks said when her mother reached her. "Leaving it behind, I mean? It was our fortress throughout all of this."

"It fell apart," Andromeda answered sadly. "It can't be rebuilt. We can't return it to how it was."

"You allright?" Tonks searched her mother's face. "I know that look, mum. What's going on?"

"I don't know," Andromeda sighed. "It's just a feeling. I can't put my finger on it. Like something's wrong." She shook her head. "I don't know what it could possibly be but something just doesn't feel right."

"Has it got something to do with Hermione?" Tonks asked and watched how the mention of the young witch's name brought out the sadness in her mother's eyes. She tried not to talk about her. She tried not to even whisper the girls' name because she knew every time she did another shard of her mother's heart was ripped away from her. "Or Bellatrix?"

"I don't know, love," Andromeda replied and ran her fingers through her thick curls. "Come, we had better catch up with the others. When we reach the top of the hill we can all Apparate to the cottage together."

Tonks silently nodded and understood that her mother didn't want to talk about Hermione anymore. They quietly climbed the hill that overlooked the Burrow and provided an amazing view for miles. In the distance you could see the village of Otterly St Catchpole, which its ancient church and abandoned cemetery. Surrounded by green fields, random trees and rolling green hills it looked like any other English countryside village were it not for the fact that it was home to a large Wizarding community.

They reached the top of the hill and Andromeda walked up to Molly and Arthur. She followed their gaze and watched them look down into the small valley where the Burrow stood, or what was left of it anyway. The collapsing of the roof had created a large hole on the second floor and overnight the rain had poured in. She felt their pain and loss. It had been their family home where they had brought up their children. It was where they had seen them whiz around the apple orchard on their small broomsticks, where they had experienced the joy of the arrival of their first Hogwarts letters and all the beautiful family meals they had shared. They were about to abandon it all.

"Ready?" she whispered and placed a supportive hand on Molly's shoulders. The red haired woman turned to look at her and suppressed a sob as she nodded.

Everyone took hold of each other's hand so they formed a long chain and Andromeda closed her eyes before summoning the image of a cottage from the back of her mind. She felt the wind tug at her hair as she Dissapparated and when her feet lost contact with the ground she allowed the sensation of flying take over. It lasted only a few second and when she reopened her eyes she stood outside a simple white picket fence. Behind it lay a simple garden, with all its flowers in bloom. She spotted a garden gnome quickly hiding behind an oversized rhubarb plant and it peered from behind one of the leaves to observe the new arrivals.

"How did you come by this place?" Molly asked as she looked at the large cottage. It was built out of white and grey bricks, with small windows and an old fashioned thatched roof. A cherry tree stood in the front garden and a simple paved path led to the front door.

"It belonged to an old neighbour of mine," Andromeda answered. "They moved away when the war started and it's been empty ever since." She didn't mention the fact that in the Daily Prophet from yesterday she had seen an article that mentioned the death of the whole family. A mother and father and their four children had all been found dead in a caravan somewhere down in Wales. Their bodies had been there for some time. Andromeda knew they were Muggles and suspected they had been killed by Death Eaters for sport.

"It's beautiful," Arthur said softly. He turned to look at her. "Andy, we owe you so much…"

She shook her head. "You do not owe me anything. All that matters is that we are here now. Together. I can't call this a new start, because the pain will never go away, but maybe here you can find some of the peace and finally come to terms with what happened. You deserve it."

"What about you?" Molly asked. Tears had welled up in her eyes.

"I live half a mile down the road, just over the hedge," Andromeda smiled. She glanced at her daughter. "I think I should have said, _we_ live just down the road."

"Thank you."

Molly unexpectedly wrapped her arms around Andromeda's neck and hugged her. As she rested her head on the dark haired witch's shoulder, Andromeda could feel Molly's tears seep into her neck. She enveloped her arms around the Weasley matriarch's back and held her. There were no words that could describe the emotions that were shared with that embrace but she felt a sense of warmth erase some of the dull pain inside her chest.

"I'll show you around," Tonks said and went ahead to open the white gate. The Weasleys followed her and Andromeda watched them walk into the cottage. She looked around. The rain had eased off but the grass and the trees and plants were still wet. It was a dull morning, with thick grey clouds packed together in the sky. It was strangely quiet. Not a single bird sang a morning song. An unnerving shiver crept down her spine and she hurried inside to catch up with her daughter.

~()~

The sun had risen over the horizon and a new dawn broke. Hermione turned away from the stained glass window in the chapel and looked at the men sitting on the wooden church benches. They were all still wrapped up in their chains and sat by side, their eyes fixed on nothing in particular. Narcissa stood behind them, her wand drawn and ready to silence whoever dared to speak out of turn. Bellatrix stood in front of the altar and the weak morning sunlight falling through the window brought a strange glow to her skin.

"Announce yourself!" she spoke sharply and her voice echoed off the walls. Several sets of eyes snapped up and she stepped down from the altar and to the Death Eater sitting to the far right. It was Yaxley. He looked up at her in defiance but Hermione had seen how their message had triggered something inside him the previous night. The thought of ultimate power and control excited the men. They were beasts, not humans. They care little to none about others and it was that selfishness that made them the perfect warriors.

Bellatrix stood in front of Yaxley and flicked her wand. The chains that bound him evaporated and she pointed the tip of her wand at his chest, right at his heart. Charcoal eyes pierced into his. "Stand!" He slowly stood up. "Make your vow."

"I, Icarus Yaxley, hereby declare my loyalty and my support to you," Yaxley said and extended his left arm. Bellatrix pushed back the sleeve of his robes and revealed the scar left behind by the Dark Mark. She placed the tip of her wand on Yaxley's wrist and began drawing a figure. The scent of flesh burning filled their noses but Yaxley didn't flinch. His eyes were fixed on something in the distance, something Hermione could not see, and when Bellatrix let go of his wrist he didn't look down to see what she had done. Hermione observed a large triangle had been branded into his wrist. When she looked closer she noticed that the three lines of the triangle didn't quite touch and she realised they resembled the three separate wands. Bellatrix had designed a new mark.

Bellatrix moved on to the Death Eater seated next to Yaxley. His chains dissolved and she ordered him to his feet as she placed the tip of her wand on his wrist. Hermione felt her heart swell with a sense of pride and victory as the Death Eater's promise echoed around the room.

"I, Pericles Jugson, hereby declare my loyalty and support to you…."

~()~

After the ten Death Eaters had declared themselves and had received their new permanent scars, Bellatrix shared with them their plans. Hermione leant against the altar as she watched the raven haired woman explain her war plan with her new soldiers. They vowed to her, to them, that they would recruit as many followers as they could. Many dark souls out there had been loyal to the Dark Lord and were still hungry for power and control after his demise. It was Yaxley who suggested travelling abroad and bringing back the wizards and witches who had done the Dark Lord's work outside of England. The glint in Bellatrix's eye betrayed her passion.

"The Ministry is rebuilding itself but they have chosen an idiot to lead them," Bellatrix said and an approving chuckle rose up from the former Death Eaters. "McGuinnes hasn't got more than one brain cell. He should be easy to overpower. Once the Ministry confirms the power and strength of the Three Cores, the world is ours."

"When do we attack?" Yaxley asked.

Hermione pushed herself away from the altar. "Soon," she answered. "We have learnt from the mistakes made in the past. Events like these take careful planning. The Order may have been weakened but they have not been destroyed. There is nothing to suggest they have been recruiting followers but at the same time there is nothing to suggest that they haven't." She paused. "The Order remains dangerous at any time."

"Bring us all the warriors and soldiers you can find," Narcissa said and she strolled between the benches towards the front of the room. "Hogwarts castle is yet to be rebuilt but we will get there before the Ministry does. Do not let a single Ministry rat enter those walls. When the Ministry falls, the castle falls too. It should remain out of their hands."

"What about the students?" asked a Death Eater with short blonde curly hair. His name was Velius Jackson, Hermione remembered.

"Those who wish the study can do so," Narcissa answered. "There shall be no difference between those born into pure blood and those born from others." She watched the disapproval in the Death Eaters eyes and squared her jaw. "It is no longer about blood purity. It is about the ultimate control. About owning_ everything_." She rolled her wand through her hand and glanced at Bellatrix. "The Dark Lord had you fooled when he told you his blood was pure. It was tainted. If blood purity means that much to you then remember this; our blood is purer than his would have ever been."

"She's a Mudblood!" called a Death Eater with an ugly scar across his face and he pointed at Hermione. Theo Montgomery his name was. "Her blood is as foul as his!"

"Avada Kedavra!"

Hermione had cast the spell before anyone could object and the green jet hit the former Death Eater in his chest. His body slumped down to the ground and he lay motionless, his eyes wide open but void of life. Bellatrix's eyes darted from the lifeless body to Hermione and back. She masked her shock quickly but Hermione had seen it. She walked up towards the remaining Death Eaters and cocked her head.

"The next one who disputes my blood status will suffer a fate far worse than his." She had her wand aimed at their chests as she scanned their faces. Hatred flickered in her eyes. "Your choice."

"Go!" Bellatrix quickly intervened and the remaining Death Eaters stood up. A couple cast worried looks at Hermione as they backed out of the room. Once they had gone Bellatrix grabbed Hermione's arm and spun her around. Blazing black eyes pierced into hazel brown.

"What in Merlin's name were you thinking?"

"Disobedience will not be tolerated," Hermione bit back and fire ignited in her eyes. The tip of her wand pressed into Bellatrix's side. "Of _anyone_."

"You can't kill them whenever they disagree with you!" Narcissa objected and glanced at the body at her feet.

"It usually only takes one to teach idiots like them a lesson," Hermione said sharply. "From now on they'll do anything we say." She chucked as she pulled herself free from Bellatrix's grip. "Besides, who are either of _you_ to speak to me about killing and disobedience anyway?"

"Bury him outside," Bellatrix said, ignoring Hermione's last comment, and watched as Narcissa went about lifting the dead man's body up into the air. Her eyes found Hermione's. "We've got work to do."

~()~

London was busy and the streets were filled with people making their way to and from the city. Black cabs were stuck in the morning rush hour traffic, with men and women in expensive business suits drumming their fingers impatiently against the windows. People carrying briefcases and laptop bags and dressed in Armani suits and Manolo Blahnik heels emerged from a variety of tube stations, their minds solely focused on the business of the day. Tourists speaking different languages and clutching their cameras walked about in small groups, standing still every so often to take pictures of the famous Big Ben or London Eye. London was a city that never slept and there was always something to see or do, if you only knew where to look.

Hermione knew London well, having been fortunate enough that her parents used to take her when she was younger. These days she barely remembered the evenings at the theatre in Tottenham Court Road but the old childhood memories served her well now that she was making her way through the busy streets. Bellatrix and Narcissa walked at either side of her, seemingly unnerved by the large scale of the city and the crowds that surrounded them.

"Why did we do this again?" Narcissa hissed as she grasped hold of Hermione's arm to avoid a guy with a green mohawk and a piercing in his lip.

"Because we can't just walk through the Ministry's front door," Hermione smiled and glanced at Narcissa. "Don't fret, my love. It will all be worth it in the end."

Bellatrix grumbled something Hermione didn't quite catch but she willingly followed the brunette into a quieter side street. Away from the main traffic and crowds of people the two sisters seemingly relaxed. Hermione increased her pace and felt her heart hammering against her ribcage. "The Ministry is around the corner." She paused. "The Atrium is on the eighth floor."

"How are we going to get inside?" Narcissa asked. "I've seen the wanted posters. They are not just going to let us walk in."

"There are a few ways to get inside," Hermione explained. "There is the external entrance, which looks like an unused telephone box. It is mainly used by visitors and then of course there's the Floo Network." They turned the corner and Hermione spotted the bright red telephone box she had just been talking about. A smile crept across her face as she observed a small queue of people lining up for a building not far from the phone box. A public toilet sign was stuck to the outside of the plain looking building. "And then there are the bathrooms stalls. You put a coin in, pull the chain and it sends you down a chute into the Atrium."

Bellatrix furrowed her brow and eyed up the queue outside the shabby looking building next to the phone box. "Looks like that's the most popular route."

"I don't think they have fixed the system yet. When the Dark Lord was in control, all the employees were made to use the stalls. Only senior officials were allowed to use the Floo Networks and nobody used the lift, which is built into the phone box. Outsiders weren't allowed in to the Ministry at all." Hermione looked around to check for traffic and began crossing the road. Bellatrix and Narcissa followed. "These days the lift is the most unguarded entrance into the ministry. It isn't entirely safe, but it isn't dangerous either."

They reached the phone box and stepped inside. Hermione turned to the phone and dialled the number. It seemed simple but it was efficient. She pressed the numbers 62442, or magic, and a woman's voice sounded out of nowhere. "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state the nature of your visit."

"Observation," Hermione answered. There was a silence then a chiming sound rose up from the toilet and a silver badge popped out. She picked it up, turned it over in her hand and read that it actually said 'observation.' She dropped it back in the tray and snorted just before the lift began to descend. She reached for her hood and pulled it over her head. Bellatrix and Narcissa did the same and Hermione's breath hitched when she looked through the glass and recognised the Ministry's Atrium underneath her. It was crowded and witches and wizards in all shapes, sizes and colours were walking in different directions.

The phone box touched down on the floor and the doors slid open. Hermione stepped out, with Bellatrix and Narcissa closely behind her, and looked over her shoulder to see the doors close and the phone box moved back up. To her left people were emerging from fire places and to her right people were disappearing in them. In the middle of the high ceilinged Atrium was a large open space, as if something had been there but had been taken away. She remembered seeing a picture of the Magic is Might statue in the Daily Prophet at the start of the war. Clearly they had not yet found a suitable replacement for it. On the other side of the room stood a young wizard behind a small desk, selling that morning's Daily Prophet. The cover screamed '**Cleansing of Ministry Staff Continues**.'

"Have you heard about the latest tactics used by McGuinnes to get those who sided with You-Know-Who to come forward?"

A witch with bright red hair and a wizard dressed in navy blue walked past them and Hermione overheard them talking.

"I heard he is supposed to be coming down here in the next ten minutes to make another announcement," the wizard answered. Hermione's ears pricked up. "Rumour has it that the Auror office has picked out some more people. McGuinnes things that to name and shame them in front of everyone before sending them to Azkaban is going to help bring more others to justice."

"They can't seem to find a whole lot of the Death Eaters though," the red haired witch answered. "Some say they've gone underground. If you ask me, they've left the country altogether,"

Hermione chuckled. "Fools!"

"What do we do?" Bellatrix whispered. She quickly stepped out of the way of a small group of Italian speaking witches that moved past them. "Where do we go?"

"We don't have to go anywhere," Hermione said and pointed at a group of photographers and journalists that had begun to gather not far from where the Magic is Might statue used to be. With a sense of revulsion she realised that one of them was that horrid Rita Skeeter woman, with her bleached blonde hair and lime green glasses. "Looks like the Minister will be coming to us."

"We can't kill him here!" Narcissa hissed. "We would never make it out!"

"Who said anything about killing?" Hermione's hazel eyes met the blonde witch's blue. "Not yet, anyway." She looked at the two sisters and their gazes locked. "All we can do is wait."

~()~

The Atrium cleared itself out after about half an hour. People had gone to work and those who had business to attend to join the small group of photographers and journalists from the Daily Prophet. Hermione, Bellatrix and Narcissa hid at the back of the crowd, their faces still hidden by their hoods. From the opposite side of the Atrium two men came walking towards them. Hermione recognised the one on the right as the Minister's second in command but she didn't care enough to remember his name. The other man was Albert McGuinnes, the new Minister of Magic. He was tall and thin, with a strong jawline and eyes that had sunken a little too deep into his skull.

"So much for charisma," Bellatrix whispered as she studied the man who would become their next target. "He looks like a strong gust of wind could knock him over!"

"Good morning on this very fine day," said McGuiness and a few cameras began to flash. "I am pleased to announce the arrest of six more Ministry officials who, during the war, sided with You-Know-Who, as well as the imminent arrest of three Death Eaters who were sighted in South Wales earlier this morning. Several of my best Aurors are currently trying to arrest them and I shall deliver their names to you in due course."

"What will happen to them?" one the journalists asked.

"They will be taken to Azkaban prison where they will await their trial," McGuinnes answered. "The right wing of the complex has been restored and reinforced after the last outbreak during the war and currently holds some of the most deranged and dangerous wizard and witches. The left side of the complex had a lower security rating and is home to those who worked for the Ministry at the time You-Know-Who was in control and who committed crimes against our community. Prisoners are kept separated at all times."

"Who are the Death Eaters that were sighted this morning?" someone called and Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"One of them is rumoured to be Icarus Yaxley."

"Shit," Hermione cursed under her breath and she turned to look at Bellatrix. "If they get their hands on Yaxley…"

"They won't," Bellatrix answered and she smirked. "Yaxley is smarter than all the Aurors put together. He may look dumb, but he isn't."

"What about Azkaban?" Narcissa asked, keeping her eyes peeled on the Minister.

Hermione nodded slowly. "You've read my mind, my love. Azkaban sounds like heaven right now."

"Come again?" Bellatrix's eyebrows shot up.

"You heard the Minister, Bella. The maximum security wing of the prison is where they hold all their Death Eaters and other scumbags," Hermione said. A grin spread across her face. "You should know, you spent plenty of time there yourself." Bellatrix's eyes darkened at the memory. "The Minister doesn't know it yet but he has just given us a whole new plan."

"A new plan?" Bellatrix asked. "What plan?"

Hermione's hazel eyes glistened mysteriously. "I think it's time we get some of your old friends out of prison."

~()~

"MUM?"

"Nymphadora? Is that you?"

Andromeda rushed out the kitchen and into the narrow hallway of her cottage when she heard her daughter's voice. The front door was wide open and Tonks had staggered into the hall. The first thing Andromeda noticed was the cut above her daughter's eyebrow and the blood that seeped down her face.

"You're hurt," she whispered as she tried to wipe some of the blood of her face with the tea towel she held in her hand. Her daughter flinched when she tried to touch her and pushed her mother's arm away. "What is it, Dora?"

"Forget about the cut, mum," Tonks whispered and supported herself against the wall. She was out of breath and her lungs felt like they were about to explode. "It's far worse than that. Far, far worse."

"What do you mean? What happened?" Andromeda searched her daughter's face. Tonks' hair was messy and the cut was bleeding steadily. She remembered the events of that morning. Another Auror had Flood in and announced that they had located Yaxley and a few other Death Eaters and they were desperate for help. Nymphadora had stepped into the flames promising she would be back soon. Andromeda's eyes darted to the clock. It had been five hours.

"It's them, mum," Tonks whispered and looked up to meet her mother's gaze. "It's them."

"Them?" Andromeda asked. "What do you mean?"

"Hermione, Bellatrix and Narcissa," Tonks whispered. "Yaxley and the others have joined them."

It felt as if the ground disappeared from underneath her feet and Andromeda placed one hand firmly against the wall in support. Weary eyes looked up at her daughter. "How do you know?"

"They have a mark," Tonks said slowly. She started to get her breath back. "Right here." She showed her wrist. "It looks like a triangle but it isn't." I managed to knock Yaxley back and when I tried to chain him, I could see it. Its the three wands, mum, brought together. Yaxley and the other Death Eaters have joined Hermione."

Andromeda shook her head in disbelief. "My God…"

"What does this mean?" Tonks asked. She wiped some off the blood from her face.

Andromeda's eyes darkened. "It means this is not over yet."


	33. Warrior Heart

**A/N: **I know that the Dementors defected to Voldemort's side in Order of the Phoenix and were sent away from Azkaban after Deathly Hallows but I have used the Deathly Hallows timeline very loosely and a lot of those events never happened so I am sort of assuming that after Voldemort's downfall, the Ministry regained the control over them almost immediately to start guarding the prisoners once again. I know that it was said that after Voldemort's demise, the Ministry no longer used the Dementors as guards but personally I find it a bit odd. The population of Azkaban hadn't necessarily changed; it was full of Death Eater after all. I chose to keep them because it makes for interesting writing and, even more so, it allows me to play a little with Bellatrix's insanity and add something to her I have been unable to add before. Watch out for an interesting confession... ~Cissy

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**Chapter 33**

"**Warrior Heart"**

Azkaban prison rose up from the North Sea. Built on a small island that consisted of little else than rocks and stones, the tall structure was permanently surrounded by string of grey mist and black rain clouds. It had been built many years ago and nowadays it served as the prison for the whole magical community of Great Britain. It was Unplottable and protected by every security charm imaginable so Muggles could not see the prison. Though looking rather simple from the outside, the inside of the prison was an intricate design of different corridors. Dimly lit and appearing to be carved out of stone, the long and narrow hallways were damp and cold.

There were two separate wings inside Azkaban, something not many people knew. There was the open wing, where the low security prisoners were kept. They were allowed out of their cells every so often, to stretch their legs and socialize with the other inmates. Few ever did. By the time their cell doors were unlocked they had already fallen prisoner to the madness inside their own heads. These were the type of prisoners who had committed small crimes and were not considered a danger to the rest of the world as such. No, those types of prisoner, the deranged and insane ones, were kept on the other side of the prison, in the Maximum Security Wing.

Two Aurors permanently stood guard inside the Maximum Security Wing. They always worked in duos and they were not allowed to open the securely locked doors at all. Only two more Aurors could relieve them of their duties by entering the faces stoic and their eyes void emotion, the Aurors had to go through rigorous training to survive in the bone chilling atmosphere of Azkaban prison. Permanently surrounded by the Dementors, the Aurors did not smile. It attracted the foul and cloaked monsters but besides that, there was very little in Azkaban to smile about anyway.

Behind the bolted door lay a single long corridor, with twenty securely locked doors on either side. These doors closed off the small cells, cut out into the rock and stone, that were now the homes of the most dangerous and insane prisoners known to the Wizarding world. Every so often their ice cold screams could be heard echoing off the walls. They were never allowed out of their cells. The only human contact they got was when an Auror opened the small hatch in the cell door and pushed in the tray of food. Most of them had gone mad in their own minds. Azkaban was hell on Earth.

Hermione felt the wind pull at her hair as she observed the small log cabin style building not far from the shore line. Azkaban could only be reached by boat but before anyone was allowed to go near the prison, they had to register themselves and hand over their wands. Her eyes were peeled on the small window and she watched the three shadows move behind the glass. The three Aurors inside were there to secure anyone who attempted to break into the prison to rescue someone from the inside. Only they could summon the small boats that brought visitors to the island. The boats were attached to an invisible chain that wheeled itself in.

She looked at Bellatrix, who stood behind her, and noticed how the raven haired witch's eyes had darkened. Since her escape from Azkaban two years ago, she had not been near the prison and even from where they were standing Hermione could feel the cold and uncomfortable presence of the Dementors.

"Come," she whispered as she reached for Bellatrix's hand. Narcissa stood behind her sister and seemed as uncomfortable as Bellatrix was. Hermione moved away from the shadows that surrounded them and walked across the rocks towards the cabin. She drew her wand from the narrow sheath she had attached to her simple black leather jeans and reached up to pull up her hood. The cloak fell loosely around her body.

"Stop!" called a man's voice when she was about ten steps away from the cabin. She halted in her track. The door to the cabin had opened and a tall, blonde wizard had appeared in the doorway. He had drawn his wand and aimed it at the three unexpected arrivals. "We are not expecting visitors tonight. Announce yourself!"

"Hermione Granger," Hermione answered politely and watched the surprise spread across the Auror's face. She chuckled softly. "I believe you've been looking for me?"

He stepped forward and she recognised the jerking motion of a spell about to be fired. Her arm shot up and she cast a strong Shield Charm. The Auror's 'Incarcerous' spell bounced back and the chains wrapped around his legs. He wobbled for a moment before losing his balance and he fell, splitting his skull on the hard rocks. Hermione grinned to herself and fixed her gaze on the door. The other two Aurors came running out.

"Stupefy!" one of them cried but Narcissa had shot forward, slashing her wand through the air. The red jet crashed into the cabin window, shattering the glass, and Narcissa's Killing Curse hit the Auror on the arm. He froze for a moment as the life drained from his eyes and then he fell. The third Auror stood across Bellatrix, recognising her even in the dark, and attempted to curse her but she was too quick for him. No one had ever managed to beat Bellatrix in a duel and the Killing Curse hit him straight into his heart. His wand slipped from his fingers and Bellatrix summoned it towards her as she turned away, not even bothering to watch her victim fall.

"You could have just asked if they would let us in," Hermione said as she looked at Bellatrix who was now studying the wand she had taken from the Auror. "Look at the mess you've made!" There was a hint of amusement in her voice.

Bellatrix gave Hermione a sideways look. "I'm sure they'd love to see me inside but I didn't think they'd just let me walk back in."

"What's next?" Narcissa breathed.

Bellatrix used the wand she had taken from the Auror and made a simple flicking motion. For a few moments it looked as if nothing happened and Hermione stared out over the dark and rough surface of the North Sea. She could smell the salt and the wind was so strong it blew her hood down. A cold shiver crept down her spine as in the distance she observed a tall structure, surrounded by mist and clouds. Dark, cloaked figures floated around outside. She was snapped out of her musings when the water near the edge began to rise and she watched how a boat emerged from the depths of the sea. Water dripped from the sides and it was covered in a fine layer of algae. Without hesitation she stepped into the small wooden boat and turned around to help Narcissa in. Bellatrix lingered for a few more seconds on the shore, her eyes peeled on the building in the distance, before jumping gracefully into the boat and landing with a soft thud.

The boat started moving across the wild North Sea, sending it rocking and at some point it almost seemed to tip over to the left. The waves were high and wild, pushing and pulling the small dingy into all directions. Hermione looked at Bellatrix, who stood at the front of the boat. Something about the dark haired witch's demeanour alarmed her and she placed a hand on Bellatrix's shoulder. The older woman jumped and spun around, wide eyed.

"You allright?" Hermione asked.

"Fine."

"You know we have to do this, don't you?" Hermione asked softly.

Bellatrix's eyes darkened. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Look!" Narcissa pointed at something a few metres ahead of them and Hermione saw what looked like a small golden orb floating in the air. At first she thought it was just hanging there but then she realised it was slowly floating towards them. She looked at Bellatrix.

"Bella, what is that?"

Bellatrix frowned. "I think it's some kind of magical observation that looks for the Aurors' wand. Remember how I explained that the boats can't move without being touched by a designated wand?" Hermione nodded. "The orbs are designed to send an alarm to the prison if a boat arrives that somehow managed to get away without an Auror's wand."

"So we should be fine?" Narcissa asked.

Bellatrix slowly nodded. "We should be."

The golden orb circled around the boat for a minute or two, floating in front of Hermione's face long enough for Bellatrix to see the determination flickering in the brunette's eyes. Then it drifted back off into the darkness and vanished in the mist. Azkaban loomed up out of the darkness in front of them and a cold chill swept around Hermione's heart. The boat made a soft creaking noise and came to an unexpected stop. Hermione peered over the edge and saw they had reached the shore. She quickly stepped out of the boat and waited for Narcissa and Bellatrix to follow. The rocks were slippery and she could hear the waves crashing around them.

"There is a walkway on the other side of the island," Bellatrix said. Her voice was hollow. "It leads to the only entrance and is guarded on both sides by two Aurors." Her memory drifted back to the night she arrived here, still kicking and screaming. Soon her voice had died, but only to the world, never in her head. They had scrutinized her face and had laughed in approval when they checked her name of the list. She grimaced at the thought and looked at Hermione. "They check the new prisoners when they arrive."

As they walked Hermione seized up the building that rose up from the rocks. Tall and narrow it seemed hardly big enough to house the amount of prisoners it did. It was built out of solid stone but she knew from the stories she had heard that the inside had been built to resemble the cold rocks from outside. There was no comfort once inside the prison walls. Her eyes were torn away from the building when she became aware of a soft rattling sound that approached them. A cold, bitter cold, feeling began to creep up on them and in front of her, Bellatrix came to a sudden stop.

"Dementors!"

Hermione looked up to the sky and saw the cloaked Dementors circling high around the prison but one or two were slowly descending down towarss them. Her breath hitched in the back of her throat as the hairs in the back of her stood up. She heard her own voice, crying and pleading, and felt his hands all over her again. The bile rose up in the back of her throat and she began to claw at her clothes as if to beat him away from her. She heard his voice in her head, over and over again. She felt his breath against her skin, felt him inside of her. He was there, right there, in her head. Whispering those horrid words into her ear. "_But I love you, Mione…."_

"BELLA!"

Narcissa's shrieking voice forced Hermione to open her eyes and she saw the older woman falling to her knees, covering her head with her arms and rolling around. A horrible, high pitched cry left the former Death Eater's throat and Hermione watched in horror as the Dementors continued to descend, closing in on Bellatrix. She looked so weak all of a sudden, so broken. In a flash Hermione saw the sheer fear in Bellatrix's eyes. The demons from the past, the monsters that lived inside her head from her time between these walls, had found her once again.

The sound of ragged breathing came closer and Hermione staggered towards Bellatrix and threw herself over her body in protection, raising her wand arm to fight the Dementors off. Narcissa ran to her side and did the same. She seemed to be the only one clear of mind and her blue eyes were wide open, fixed on the horrific creatures that approached. "Expecto Patronum!"

A silver swan shot from the tip of Narcissa's wand and flew up into the air. It began to attack the two Dementors and the two cloaked figures moved backwards as if burnt by fire. Hermione forced the thoughts of Ron out of her mind. She knew she had to focus on something other than him to cast her spell and she bit down on her lip until she could taste blood. She glanced down at Bellatrix underneath her and remembered how she had touched her, how she had brought out the best in her. The memory of their hands united, their wands forced together, gave her a surge of energy and she cried out her spell. "Expecto Patronum!"

The silver otter leapt from her wand, ran across the air towards Narcissa's swan and joined it in the barricade against the Dementors. When she looked higher up she noticed more and more Dementors were breaking free from the prison and were sliding towards them. She looked down at Bellatrix, tugging desperately at the raven haired woman's cloak and leant in until her lips brushed against her ear.

"Come on, Bella!" she whispered softly. "I need you!" She let her fingers dance across her lover's face and the odler woman blinked. Fear and pain had filled her eyes. "Come on, Bella! COME ON!" She tried to pull Bellatrix's arm from underneath her and realised that she was clutching her wand. "Remember what we've done, my love? Remember what it is we can do? You remember, don't you? You remember what we are destined to become?" Bellatrix didn't' move and Hermione's eyes darted to Narcissa. She had managed to keep her swan up in the air but there was only so much they could do with two wands. They needed the third. She leant back in to Bellatrix. "Come on, Bella. We need you!" She pressed her lips against her lover's ear. "I need you. _I love you_."

Bellatrix's eyes briefly closed and Hermione thought for a moment that all was lost. They had come here but could get no further. She was about to move away from Bellatrix when the dark haired woman stirred and her wand aimed at the two Patronusses already floating in the air. "Expecto Patronum!"

The raven that shot from Bellatrix's wand was larger than any raven Hermione had ever seen. It spread its wings and seemed to open its beak as if to let out a war cry before flying up into the air to join her sister's swan and Hermione's otter. The three Patronusses seemed to look at each other for a mere moment before moving towards each other. Slowly they merged together and formed a large, glowing silver ball. It hung in mid-air for a moment and the Dementors seemed triggered by it to come closer. But as they did, the ball exploded and from the silver flames a dragon emerged. Wings sprouted from its back and it threw back its head as he clawed at the Dementors circling around its head.

"Merlin's beard," Narcissa whispered as she stared up at the silver dragon.

"The cores must be able to form a Patronus of their own when united," Hermione answered as she helped Bellatrix to her feet. They stared at each other, both aware of the quiet confession Hermione had made to bring Bellatrix back and Bellatrix held the brunette's hands safely in her own. The fear subsided in her eyes and the colour slowly returned to her cheeks.

"They always were vile creatures," Bellatrix hissed as the dragon chased the Dementors higher up into the sky.

"Are you sure you want to continue?" Hermione asked when Bellatrix looked ready to move on.

"We can't go back now," Bellatrix answered. "By now the alarm will have been raised at the Ministry. The Aurors at the gateway will have seen the Dementors and the dragon and…" The rest of her sentence was cut short by a bright red flash that landed about half a foot away from her and her head snapped up. Two Aurors had appeared on top of the cliffs above their heads. Bellatrix pushed Hermione behind a large rock and black eyes met hazel brown.

"Stay here!"

"But…"

"STAY HERE!"

Bellatrix spun around and chased off into the dark. Hermione found Narcissa three feet away from her, her back pressed against another large rock. "We can't let her go alone! It would kill her!" Without waiting for Narcissa's answer she ran after Bellatrix and vanished into the shadows.

She dodged a blue jet that was shot down from the cliffs, spun around on one leg and took aim. She had only a split second to identify the Auror and pointed her wand at the rocks underneath his feet. "Bombarda!"

The explosion that followed sent the rocks crumbling and she heard a muffled cry as the Auror lost his footing and crashed down the cliffs, followed by tons of lose stones. She coughed as the air filled itself with dust, debris and sand but didn't turn around to see if her plan had worked. She only became aware of Narcissa when she felt the blonde's hand on her arm and turned to look at her. Narcissa pointed at the walkway Bellatrix had been talking about and Hermione recognised the black clad figure a few metres ahead of them. Bellatrix had already reached the walkway and was climbing up the stairs. The Auror that had been standing on the cliffs now ran towards her.

Bellatrix reached the top of the steps and her lungs pressed against her ribcage. Her heart pounded in her ears and her throat was dry but she paid no attention to it. All she saw was the lone figure standing a few metres away from her. He was tall, had dirty blonde hair and more lines across his face than she remembered. Yes, she remembered him. She remembered him from that night. He had been the one who laughed when he recognised her name. He was the one that whenever he was on guard in the corridors would shove her plate down the hatch but knock it just before she could reach it. She lost count of the days where she watched the previous water to quench her thirst seep down into the stones. After a while she no longer tried to lick the drops of the dirty floor. She'd rather die than give him the pleasure to see her beg. Now it was time for him to feel her pain.

"Well, well, well," she mocked as she walked up to him. "Look what we have here."

"Come to claim back your cell, Lestrange?" he taunted her. "There's one on the closed wing that's got your name on it."

Bellatrix cocked her head. "I know a cemetery that will soon have yours."

He took aim. "Incarcerous!"

She slammed his spell away with ease and it hit the cliffs below them. He tried again but she was too quick. Every spell he shot at her she blasted away, all of this whilst slowly walking towards him. He backed away from her until there was nowhere else left to go. He looked back, realising there were only the cliffs and the rough seas below, and then looked back at the woman he had seen arrive the night the Longbottoms had been tortured.

"Bellatrix…"

She cackled. "Oh, you know my name now, do you?"

His eyes widened at the sight of the anger written across her face. "I'm sorry…."

"You're _sorry_?" she spat. "You don't know what sorry means, you pathetic piece of shit!" She aimed her wand and let out the cackle that had terrified so many throughout her life. "CRUCIO!"

She watched in amusement how the spell hit him in his chest. The guard fell down to his knees before falling onto his face. His body started jerking and seizing and foam appeared around his mouth. Light brown eyes rolled back into his head and blood vessels began to burst in his eyes. A horrific outcry of pain rose up from the back of his throat right before he vomited. His head snapped from left to right, cutting across the sharp pieces of rock. Blood began to seep from his nose and mouth and the cuts across his face. He was heaving as his stomach tried to empty itself once again but nothing came out.

"Bella!"

Hermione's hand closed around her lover's wrist and she forced her to lower her wand. Instantly the guard stopped seizing but he didn't move. His eyes had fallen shut and his face was covered in blood. Hermione glanced at Bellatrix' face and recognised the madness in her eyes. She had seen it the very night their paths had crossed for the first time. She relished in the pain she inflicted on others. She let her hand slide away from Bellatrix's arm and slowly walked towards the guard. Narcissa had reached Bellatrix and together the two sisters watched as Hermione carefully placed two fingers against the man's neck. She felt nothing.

Slowly she stood up. "He's dead."

"He deserved it." Bellatrix shrugged.

Hermione didn't answer and slowly turned to look at the prison. The walkway led right into the prison and she remembered Bellatrix telling her there would be two more Aurors. "Where are the others?"

"Inside," Bellatrix breathed. "There are two small cavities on either side of the wall and they stand in there, waiting."

Hermione was briefly reminded of the soldiers lined up outside the Queen's castle in London but shook her head to get rid of the thought. She cast a final look at the dead guard at her feet and beckoned Narcissa to follow her. They went ahead, with Bellatrix trailing behind. The sound of their boots echoed off the damp walk way and before they had reached the entrance to the prison, the two Aurors emerged from the shadows, clearly expecting their colleagues. Before they respond to the three witches walking towards them, Narcissa cast two quick Killing Curses and both Aurors slumped down against the walls.

Hermione looked up and realised that the Patronus dragon had chased off all the Dementors. It was now floating around the top of the prison, circling in the sky like a large silver moon. A smile crept across her face. The resistance had fallen. She fixed her eyes on the prison entrance and she, Narcissa and Bellatrix pushed against the heavy metal doors. They gave way without a single creak and they found themselves standing in an open area from which several corridors went off in a variety of different directions. They were dimly lit by a handful of torches and the corridors reminded Hermione of the dungeons back at Hogwarts.

"This way," Bellatrix said and started down the corridor leading furthest to the right. The further they walked, the darker their route became. The torches became few and far between and they walked large parts in complete darkness. Eventually they reached another metal door and Bellatrix rose to the tips of her toes to peer through the bars. A smile lingered on her face and she turned to look at Narcissa and Hermione.

"There are two Aurors inside. This door separates us from the Maximum Security Wing." She cocked her head. "Normally, two Aurors enter and leave this room at all times. No one ever comes and goes alone. The Aurors on the inside are forbidden to unlock the door from their end and only Aurors arriving into the ward are allowed to open the door."

Narcissa placed the tip of her wand against the lock, breathed "Alohomora" and the three witches watched how the bolts all unlocked and the door sprung open. Hermione peered inside and noticed the two Aurors standing about halfway down the corridor. One of them had heard the door open and looked up before nudging his colleague. Slowly they began walking towards the open door and Hermione waited a few more seconds before pointing her wand around the door and whispering, "Avada Kedavra!"

The green jet hit the first Auror in his chest and startled the second one. Hermione now fully open the door, revealing herself, Bellatrix and Narcissa to the now frightened looking guard. It was Bellatrix who stepped past Hermione and flicked her wand. The green flash of light briefly illuminated the wizard's face before he slumped down to the floor. From behind some of the cell doors loud laughter rose up as the prisoners began to understand someone had come to set them free.

"Unlock all the doors," Bellatrix commanded and the three witches made their way along all the cell doors, breaking open the double locks with their wands. The doors swung open and revealed the stinking, rotting cells where the prisoners had been kept. Shackled witches and wizards staggered out of their hell hole prisons, dressed in ragged clothes and rat faeces in their hair. Most of them had rooting teeth and dirt stuck under their long nails. The smell that emerged from their cells as the doors opened made Hermione feel sick and she turned around to look at Bellatrix. She had reached the last door at the end of the corridor but did not open it. From where Hermione stood she noticed the name carved into the black slate next to the door. Bellatrix Lestrange. There was no need to open that door. Bellatrix was already free.

The corridor filled itself with deranged and dishevelled looking prisoners. Some smiled whilst others were quietly observing their liberators but the one thing they all had in common was the look in their eyes. Hollow and void of any life, they looked like ghosts. Their ankles and wrists still bound in chains, they all looked weak and broken.

Bellatrix walked through the group of about twenty witches and wizards until she stood in their midst. They all turned to her and many gasped or even laughed softly when they recognised her.

"We did what the Dark Lord failed to do," Bellatrix said with a loud and clear voice. "I gave you back your freedom. Tonight you will leave here and you will see the sun rise, not just through a tiny crack in your rotten prison cell wall but for real, in the world beyond these walls!" A loud cheer rose up from the crowd. "My friends, a new time is upon us. A time for change. We stand before you as a new guide into this world. Follow us onto a path that will give you everything this world once took from you!" She had to raise her voice to make herself heard over the loud cheers.

She rolled back her sleeve and pressed the tip of her wand against her own wrist, marking herself. Hermione watched intensely, her gaze fixed on the burning mark that had appeared on Bellatrix's pale skin. Around her the prisoners began peeling back their ragged sleeves and revealed their dirty skin. Bellatrix walked to the wizard nearest to her and placed the tip of her wand against his skin.

"Stand with us and you shall be victorious!"

Hermione watched as Bellatrix began to mark the wizard before pushing herself away from the wall and approaching a ragged looking witch with dirty brown hair, an infected cut across her cheek and bony hands. She stuck out her scar covered arm for Hermione to mark and their gazes locked for a moment. Deep down in her eyes, hidden in a spot the Dementors could not find it, Hermione recognised the fire and the devotion and as she placed the tip of her wand against the witch's skin she relished in the fact they had gained their newest army. The world was about to fall apart.


	34. Lacrimosa

**A/N: **There are a few small fragments in this story that will have a greater impact in upcoming chapters. On a different note, I cannot believe this story has crossed the 400 reviews mark. It is a record for me. When I started writing this story I didn't know what it was going to turn into. It has turned into perhaps one of my favourite pieces of work, my longest story and my best reviewed one too. Thank you all for being so kind and so amazing. Whenever another review hits my inbox, I smile. ~Cissy

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**Chapter 34**

"**Lacrimosa"**

Nymphadora Tonks stood outside her mother's cottage, her hand hovering in mid-air, still deciding whether to knock or not. It was early. The sun had barely climbed over the horizon but in the distance a lonely bird had started to whistle a soft morning tune. It had rained heavily overnight but now it only drizzled. Her robes were drenched and she felt numb and cold to the bone. The thought of her mother's warm kitchen brought a weak smile to her face but the real reason she was here was far grimmer than the weather. She heaved a sigh and her knuckles made contact with the wood.

"Who is it?" Andromeda called from the inside.

"Mum, it's me!" Tonks called back. "Are you going to make me go through the whole security thing or will just changing the colour of my hair be enough?" She screwed up her nose and her bright bubble gum pink hair changed to jet black. She heard the lock turn and released her breath. As she did so her hair changed back and she quickly stepped inside after her mother had opened the door.

"What are you doing here so early?" Andromeda asked. She noticed her daughter was wet. "Did you _walk_ home?"

"It's been a long night," Tonks answered as she filed past her mother and walked through the hallway into the kitchen. She sat down on one of the kitchen chairs and ran her fingers through her damp hair. Andromeda followed her daughter into the kitchen, summoned the kettle and poured her a steaming mug of tea. Then she sat down at the table too, folded her hands on the wooden surface and let her dark eyes trail over her daughter's tired looking frame.

"What happened? I heard the alarm last night."

Tonks shook her head. When she started working as an Auror for the Ministry she was given a small square box but was told never to open it unless there was an emergency. Ever since she had carried it in her pocket, only half aware it was with her. Whenever she slept, the box lay on her night stand. Last night, or better said early this morning, a cacophony of sound had erupted from the small box and she had sat up bolt upright. The sound had died down and a voice she recognised as that of Minister of Magic McGuinnes filled her room. _"Azkaban is under attack. All Aurors report immediately." _She had slipped out of bed, got dressed and Flood straight to Ministry. Within half an hour of receiving the message she had stood on the island of Azkaban prison, listening to the harrowing tale of how twenty maximum security prisoners had escaped.

"There was an attack on Azkaban prison," Tonks said without making eye contact. She wrapped her hands around the warm mug of tea and chewed her bottom lip. "McGuiness sounded worried when he called for us but when I saw him, it was unlike anything I'd ever seen. He was terrified. He sent us all to Azkaban and there we were told what had happened." She swallowed hard. "They just walked in, mum."

"They?" Andromeda questioned and felt her heart skip a beat. "You mean Hermione and the others?"

Tonks nodded. "Like it was nothing. They killed the Aurors on the shore, took one of the boats and went straight to the island. Anyone who stood in their way was killed. There was a report of a silver dragon flying in the sky. Some Muggle fishermen claims he saw black 'things' and a dragon whizzing over his boat. I have to say it was quite hard to get near him and Modify his memory." She slowly looked up and met her mother's gaze. "They freed twenty of the most dangerous witches and wizards, mum. God knows what they plan to do but whatever it is, they sure have the army to do it now. Between those escapees and the Death Eaters they have recruited…"

Andromeda felt the bile rise in the back of her throat. "They are planning to destroy the world as we know it. Killing Harry and Voldemort wasn't enough. They know there is still a resistance out there. There is the Ministry, there is you and me and the rest of the Order." She drummed her fingers impatiently on the table surface. "They are going to strike again."

"But why? What else is there to gain?"

"Did you listen to what I just said, Nymphadora? They want _the world_. They want to control it, every single part of it. They want everyone who ever stood in their way to be gone or falling at their feet. They want every sense of control, every sense of power they can get their hands on," Andromeda explained. A hint of anger laced her words. "Bellatrix always wanted the next thing after she had gotten something else. She never knew how to stop. With Hermione and Narcissa at her side she is unstoppable."

Tonks swallowed hard. "Do we even stand a chance?"

Andromeda didn't answer.

Tonks leant across the table and took her mother's hand. The touch roused her from her thoughts. "Mum, do you think we even got a chance to beat them?"

"I wish I knew," she answered and shook her head. "I don't know what to think anymore, Nymphadora. This has gone so much further than I ever imagined. Destroying Hogwarts, breaking into Azkaban?" She brushed a curl out of her eyes. "They are doing everything they can to make themselves stronger. They have destroyed everything that meant something to us. There is more blood on their hands than I ever believed them to be capable off."

Tonks fell back in her seat. "You think all is lost, don't you?"

"I never said that!" Andromeda flared up. "I said that I don't know what to think anymore. The last time I saw Hermione, I saved her life. I am going to have to live with that knowledge for the rest of my own life, Nymphadora. I could have let her die and none of this would have happened." She stood up and walked away from her daughter. "Don't you think I've been asking myself that same question over and over? Are we doomed because I saved her?" Slowly she turned around and her gaze locked with her daughter's. "Did we lose everything because I love her?"

~()~

She rubbed the painful mark on her wrist and felt the raised scar under her fingertips. The flesh was still hot and she looked down at the triangle shaped mark, remembering Bellatrix's fingers closing around her arm before she placed the tip against her flesh. It had hurt and the pain had spread through her veins like poison but it had passed the second Bellatrix's fingers had let go. Narcissa looked up and her gaze fixed on the small group of people gathered in the high ceilinged dining room of Black Mansion. Bellatrix sat at the head of the table, her hands resting on the dark wooden surface. Only a few other seats were occupied, mostly by those who had been freed from Azkaban mere hours earlier. Now that they had cleaned up and wore robes instead of prison rags, most of them actually looked human. As her gaze drifted around the room she found Hermione leaning against Bellatrix's chair. Their gazes locked. The brunette stared at the mark on her own wrist, a smile lingering on her lips as her fingers traced the burnt flesh.

"The Ministry is aware of your, by lack of a better word, absence," Bellatrix spoke softly and a low chuckle rose up from those seated around the table. "I asked many of you to come to our side and you have answered our call. I know not all of you are present right now but I have sent out some of your comrades to gather our forces. By nightfall we will have formed an army strong enough to overthrow the Ministry."

"Nightfall?" asked a dark skinned wizard sitting to Bellatrix's left. "You want to overthrow the Ministry tonight?"

"Not tonight," Hermione piped up and she rolled down her sleeve. "But soon." She smiled. "Our numbers are growing steadily. By nightfall we will have reached the number of the Dark Lord's original army. Many of his former allies have been more than happy to join our ranks. They were shall we say, left _disappointed_ after previous events."

"What's in it for us?" growled a witch nearer the other end of the table. She had short cropped black hair and was missing one of her front teeth. The witch was nothing short of ugly.

"Anything you want," Bellatrix answered and leant across the table. "We have chosen you to be our warriors. We are aware of your reputation. Each of you will be given a small army. Once the plan to overthrow the Ministry has been established, you will lead your army into battle. Your troops are yours to command." She paused and the corners of her mouth curled up. "Of course, this position brings a reward. You shall be paid with riches beyond your belief. Vaults full of gold in Gringotts await new owners. It is yours for the taking."

Hermione walked around Bellatrix's chair and slowly made her way along the table. She took small steps, allowing everyone seated at the table as well as Narcissa by the window to look at her. "You are about to step into something from which there is no way back. You have received your marks and have been inducted into our ranks. We ask for nothing more than your loyalty." She had reached the other end of the table and turned around. She found Bellatrix staring at her and smiled. "Betray us and you'll die. Do as you are instructed and your rewards will be endless."

Her words echoed around the room and sank in with those watching her. She smiled and turned her back on the table, looking at Narcissa instead. She closed the distance between herself and the blonde witch and rested herself against the older woman's chest. Narcissa snaked an arm around Hermione's waist and caressed the top of her head with her lips. The sound of a chair being pushed backwards made Hermione glance over her shoulder. Bellatrix had stood up.

"Go and join our other allies," the raven haired woman said and the other witches and wizards stood up. They mumbled amongst themselves as they left the dining room. Bellatrix crossed the roo, her footsteps sounding hollow on the wooden floor, and reached her sister and Hermione. Ruby lips softly kissed the brunette's neck before she cupped her sister's cheek with her hand. She leant in for a kiss, letting the tip of her tongue follow the shape of Narcissa's lips before moving to Hermione and nipping at her bottom lip. A soft moan escaped her. Narcissa moved closer to her sister.

"True victory is nearly upon us," Bellatrix whispered and let a hand slide up Narcissa's waist. The blonde eagerly leant in to the touch and her breath hitched when the palm of Bellatrix's hand grazed over the swell of her breast. Hermione observed her lover's wandering hands and she pressed her lips against Bellatrix's ear.

"I am afraid I have to leave you for a moment," she whispered. Her breath was hot against Bellatrix's flesh and she felt her heart hammer against her ribcage. "I wish to observe our army." She chewed her bottom lip and the tip of her tongue circled over the pulsating vein in Bellatrix's neck . "I shall wait for you, my love."

She turned and broke away from Bellatrix's caressing touch. Bellatrix merely nodded and watched for a moment how Hermione walked across the dining room and reached the door. There she turned around and watched for a few moments how Bellatrix pressed Narcissa against the cold glass dining room window and hoisted up her skirt. A smile lingered on her lips as she softly closed the door behind her, hearing Narcissa's soft whimper of pleasure as she left.

~()~

The heavens opened unexpectedly and the thick, cold rain drops seeped into her clothes and trailed down her skin. Wet strands of hair stuck to her forehead as she stood under the old oak tree. The sky was packed with grey clouds and the wind had picked up. Another storm was coming. She had been here for some time now, hiding behind the tree. She knew she was alone. No one could see her here. Part of her didn't even know why she had come here, what had brought her out here. She didn't know why she had lied. Her heart beat steadily in her chest as she pushed herself away from the tree and started walking. Her wet clothes clung to her slender frame.

She reached the simple front door and knocked. Her knuckles made contact with the wood and she felt a shiver creep down her spine. Inside she heard footsteps come closer and then there was a silence. The next second the door swung open, a strong hand closed around her wrist and a wand poked into the side of her neck. Dark brown eyes pierced into hazel brown and Hermione could feel Andromeda's breath burning hot against her flesh.

"What are you doing here?" Andromeda hissed. She didn't let go of Hermione's wrist. "What the_ hell_ are you doing here?"

Her answer was but a whisper. A whisper that got lost in the overwhelming sound of the pouring rain. "I needed to see you."

"What makes you think I want to see you?" Andromeda pressed her wand a little harder into Hermione's neck. "You lying, deceitful little…" She couldn't get the last word out of her mouth and released her breath. The initial anger that had crept into her veins when she laid eyes on the brunette began to subside. Her fingers slipped from Hermione's wrist but she didn't lower her wand. She fully took in Hermione's appearance. Her wait hair and the soaking wet clothes.

Hermione stepped away from the door, back into the rain. It poured down on her, hammering on her head, drenching her all over again. Hazel eyes met dark brown. Finally she spoke the words she had been forced to hide inside for all this time. She knew why she was here. She was here because a part of her wanted to be here. "Not all of it was a lie, Andy."

"Everything was a lie, Hermione," Andromeda said and stepped out of the door and into the rain. Her brown curls fell in wet sleeks down the sides of her face as she walked up to Hermione. "How can you stand there and expect me not to kill you?"

"Because we both know you can't," Hermione whispered. "For the same reasons I can't kill you."

"You dare stand there and claim you love me?" Andromeda spat. Tears welled up in her eyes. "After everything you did to us, to me, you stand out here and tell me you love me? You don't love me, Hermione. You love Bellatrix and what you are when you are with her. You love what it makes you feel when you hold that bloody wand. You relish in the pain you cause others." She shook her head. Tears laced with the raindrops on her cheeks. "You're as dead as she is."

"That's not true!" Hermione flared up. "If I were as dead as she was, you would be dead too. I would have killed you when I got the chance." Her voice broke. "I saw the look in your eyes, Andy. I saw the way you looked at me when you had to choose between my victory and the Dark Lord. I know what made you choose me. We all did. You saved me because you couldn't let me die. You can't bear the thought of my death just as I cannot bear the thought of yours."

"So that's it then? You stand there, in the pouring rain, and you tell me you love me but you walk away from me, back into the darkness you call home?" Andromeda asked. She brushed the tears and raindrops from her cheeks. "You tell me you love me but can't actually _love_ me?"

Before Andromeda could move Hermione closed the distance between them and she brought their lips together in a searing kiss. She tasted the rain and she tasted the tears on Andromeda's lips and her own eyes slowly closed as she felt the other woman's hands resting on her hips. The rain continued to fall and drenched them both, wrapped up in each other's arms. She wanted this moment to be everlasting, even if it were to be as a memory. She never wanted to forget about this, about what she could still feel if she allowed herself to, though she knew she couldn't ever come back to this moment. She could never stand here again, holding Andromeda like she did now. Not after what she had done. She didn't want to come back here after today; she never ever wanted to come back here again. She just needed to see her, one last time, like she remembered her, like she still loved her.

When they broke apart Hermione rested her forehead against Andromeda's and brushed a wet curl out of her face. The feeling of the older woman's skin under her fingertips brought tears to her eyes and she stepped back, away from her.

"What does this mean, Hermione?" Andromeda asked. "Why are you here? Why now? Why _me_?"

"You know the answers to all those questions," Hermione answered solemnly and her hazel eyes met Andromeda's brown. "Goodbye, Andy."

She turned around and disappeared into the rain. By the time Andromeda had realised she had started walking away, Hermione was gone. She looked around for her but found nothing. Hermione had disappeared. She heaved a sigh and looked up when she heard Tonks calling from the open door. "Mum, what on Earth are you doing out there?"

"I thought I heard something," Andromeda muttered and moved back towards the cottage. She stepped inside, soaking wet, and cast one final glance out into the rain.

Tonks studied her mother's face. "What did you hear?"

"Nothing," Andromeda sighed. "It was nothing."

~()~

She returned to Black Mansion and found Bellatrix and Narcissa in the living area. Bellatrix lay sprawled out on the sofa, her black curls draped across one of the burgundy cushions. Her eyes were closed but Hermione could tell from the rising and falling of her chest that she wasn't asleep. Narcissa sat in an arm chair by the window, a book open in her lap. A dozen or so candles stood scattered around the living room, their golden flames creating dancing shadows on the walls. She stood in the open doorway for a few moments, her gaze lingering on Bellatrix's relaxed form. She felt a sharp pain in her chest as she remembered her goodbye to Andromeda. It had ended today. It was all over. _Gone._

"They're ready," Hermione said, rousing Bellatrix from her relaxed mood. She crossed the room and slumped down in one of the other armchairs. "They await instructions."

"Tomorrow at nightfall," Bellatrix answered lazily. Hermione detected the obvious slur of alcohol in her voice and her eyes darted across the room and found the empty bottle of mead standing on a side table.

"Bella, are you drunk?" she asked, though she already knew the answer to that question. Her eyes flashed across the room to Narcissa. "How much did she have, Cissy?"

"The bottle," Narcissa answered. She put down the book that had rested in her lap without having read a page. Slowly she pushed herself out of her chair and strode across the room towards Hermione. Placing a soft hand on the brunette's shoulder, she forced the younger witch to turn away from Bellatrix. "Let her be. Her demons need to find their place once more."

"Her demons?" Hermione questioned. "As far as the rest of the world is concerned, Bellatrix _is _a demon!"

Narcissa shook her head. "You don't understand what that return to Azkaban has done to her, my love." She gently pushed Hermione out of the living room and closed the door behind her. They were now standing in the high ceilinged entrance hall of the mansion. It was lit by several candles as well as the diamond chandelier over their heads. Hermione looked at Narcissa, surprised by the gentle tone of her voice and the kindness with which she spoke of her sister.

"Not long after she had broken out of Azkaban she used to be like this all the time," Narcissa said and her gaze drifted off to the front door as if she expected someone to walk in. A vague looked filled her blue eyes as she remembered the nights at Malfoy Manor where she watched her sister in another one of her drunken stupors. She would fall asleep on the floor in front of the fire and only Narcissa would dare to go near her and take her to bed. Night after night she brushed those raven curls out of her beloved sister's face and waited for the moment where she could no longer see the demons in her eyes. "Bellatrix has a lot of inner demons, Hermione. Demons that lived inside of her long before she was sent to Azkaban but that only grew stronger whilst she was there."

"What kind of demons?" Hermione asked. She remembered how she had felt when the Dementors approached her, what she had remembered. She wondered what secrets Bellatrix hid beyond those crazy eyes.

"She wasn't born the way she is but she wasn't born as an innocent either," Narcissa said softly. "Even when she was a child, it was clear to see there were two sides to Bellatrix. Sometimes she would be withdrawn and quiet, like she hid inside herself. Whatever she found in there, whatever lived inside of her, began to tear her apart. In the end she just gave up. Evil isn't always made, my love. Sometimes it is born and sometimes it grows."

"You're saying that she was born to be a murdering lunatic?" Hermione shook her head. Narcissa flinched at the description. "That would suggest you and I were too, Cissy."

"Some would say we are."

"If she wants to sit in there and drink her bloody demons away, fine!" Hermione said sharply and her hazel eyes locked with Narcissa's and she pointed back at the door. "I can't take responsibility for her when she's like this."

"You won't have to." The two witches turned around. Bellatrix had appeared in the doorway and supported herself by holding the frame. "You don't have to take responsibility for me."

"You shouldn't be up, Bella," Narcissa said and rushed to her sister's side. "You need to sleep."

Hermione watched how the blonde witch carefully helped Bellatrix up the stairs. When they reached the landing Narcissa turned around and looked down over the banister. Hermione felt a sharp sense of guilt and pain in her chest as her eyes were fixed on Bellatrix, whose arm was draped loosely around Narcissa's neck. She dragged her feet and every so often appeared to trip over something that wasn't there. Her eyes had been void of passion and seemed strangely hollow and empty. In a flash she reminded Hermione of the picture she had seen in the Daily Prophet the day after the breakout two years ago. Bellatrix had that look again, the empty shell look, left behind by the Dementors. This wasn't the woman she knew. This wasn't the woman she _loved._

She loved her. She loved her in that kind of way where she knew she could never go another day without her. Every cell of her body, every broken shard of her heart, cried out for Bellatrix and yet a fragment of her soul still whispered the name of another woman. The one who resembled Bellatrix so much, who could _be_ her if the shadows had wrapped around her enough to mask the kindness in her eyes. She had gone to say goodbye tonight because she knew she would never see her again. Even if she lived through all of this, lived to be as victorious as she dreamed to be, she knew she could never look into Andromeda's eyes again. She had lied to her, lied to herself when she vowed she wouldn't love her. She had lied to everyone and here she stood, as sure about the decision she had made as she could possibly be. There was no way back. Destiny had to be fulfilled.

Hermione took a deep breath and began climbing the stairs. When she reached the landing she blindly walked across the corridor to the room the three of them had shared since first arriving here. The door was slightly ajar and she stepped inside. The room was dark. The curtains had been drawn and not a single beam of silver moonlight danced across the floor. She recognised Narcissa's slender figure sitting on the mattress and quietly walked towards her before sitting down beside her.

Her hand covered the blonde's and their gazes locked before they both looked down at a sleeping Bellatrix. For the first time Hermione saw the demons in her lover's face. She leant in and brushed her lips against Bellatrix's forehead and she quietly wished them away.

Translation of chapter title: "Weeping."


	35. Dies Irae

**A/N:** I am so sorry it took me so long to update this story. It requires me to be in a certain mind set, somewhere dark usually, and I struggled with it over the past few weeks. Today I finally got a change to sit down and create my own atmosphere and voila, finally there is chapter 35 and to make up for my absence, it's an extra-long chapter too. I was dreading it to write this one because I wasn't looking forward to the opening scenes but it worked out allright. Personally it is not my favourite part but towards the end, I really enjoyed it. I hope some you are still around to see what's going to happen in the next chapters and just let me know what you think of this one. ~Cissy

* * *

**Chapter 35**

"**Dies Irae"**

The Ministry was quietest at night. Only a few officials occupied the many offices throughout these hours and many of the Aurors had gone home. Those who had volunteered to work the nightshift remained and were left to patrol the many corridors alone. Outside the darkness had fallen and the full moon went hidden behind thick, black clouds. Rain poured from the heavens, drenching the streets of London and shrouding them in strands of grey mist. Those who dared to venture out into the night made sure they found a place of shelter after mere minutes as the rain and the bitter cold wind were unforgiving.

Inside the Ministry the flames in the many fireplaces started roaring green and the haunting light cast strange shadows across the walls. Cloaked figures started appearing from the flames, their faces masked by their hoods. Their footsteps were silent; the echo of their boots muffled by the sound of flames rising continuously. They didn't speak as they began to form small groups, waiting for their companions to emerge from the fire. When eventually the flames died down the small groups of masked and cloaked figures dispersed across the Atrium and vanished into the shadows. By the time the first Auror stepped out of the elevator, they were long gone. The Auror walked slowly across the dimly lit Atrium, his gaze fixed on the now empty fireplaces, and he drew his wand. His senses told him something wasn't right and he paused in his step.

"Hello?" The echo of his voice bounced off the walls. "Homenum Revelio!"

The spell shot across the room, invisible to the human eye, and suddenly there was a sharp wailing sound and the corner of the Atrium started glowing red. His heart rate quickened as he realised the spell had located a human form hiding in the shadows. His fingers closed tighter around his wand as he took aim. "Stupefy!"

The Shield Charm was unexpected and the Stunning Spell bounced off the silver orb before crashing into the wall. The impact echoed around the whole of the Ministry, alarming those who were patrolling in different corridors.

"What the bloody devil is this?" The Auror muttered to himself as the person who had cast the Shield Charm did not reveal themselves. He pointed his wand at the spot from where the spell had been cast. "Show yourself!"

His breath hitched when a single dark clad figure emerged from the shadows and stepped into the light falling into the Atrium. Their cloak obscured their face but he guessed it was a witch. A slender frame, not too tall, and wearing laced up leather boots. His gaze lingered a moment too long on their choice of shoe wear because when his eyes snapped back up he realised he had missed them pulling off their hoods and revealing themselves. He had no chance to even mutter their name in shock.

"Avada Kedavra!"

The green jet of light briefly illuminated his shocked features before colliding with his chest. The wand slipped from his fingers and the sound of it falling to the ground echoed around the Atrium even after his body had slumped down. His attacker turned around, their eyes fixing on something in the shadows behind them.

"It has begun," Hermione said and raised a single hand. Two more figures broke free from the darkness and lowered their hoods. Bellatrix's dark curls were a stark contrast against the pale tones of her skin and Narcissa's golden hair almost seemed to glow in the soft Atrium light. The raven haired Death Eater walked past Hermione and knelt down beside the Auror to take his wand. She studied his face for a moment.

"Wrong place, wrong time," she stated simply as she slipped his wand into her sleeve. She turned to look at Hermione. "Come. The remaining Aurors will get here soon and when they find his body they will call for help."

Narcissa chuckled. "Including the Minister."

Hermione's hazel eyes darted around the otherwise empty Atrium. This was going to be their arena. It would be their display of carnage. Their final battle and their true victory. All they had to do was wait. A smile graced her lips as she extended her left hand to Narcissa and her right to Bellatrix. Both witched took her hands and they turned on the spot, vanishing into darkness and leaving the dead Auror behind.

~()~

"Mum?" Tonks slowly opened her mother's bedroom door and wasn't surprised to see Andromeda not lying in her bed but standing by her bedroom window, fully dressed and with her dark hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. Her gaze lingered on her mother's frame as the older witch turned around. "Something's wrong. I've been called in to the Ministry."

"What happened?" Andromeda breathed and a sense of fear crept into her heart.

"An Auror was found dead in the Atrium. Someone took his wand," Tonks answered. She paused, allowing her mother to register the true meaning behind her words. "You think this is it?"

"The Ministry?" Andromeda asked softly and then nodded. It fitted perfectly. It explained why no one had seen or heard of Bellatrix, Narcissa and Hermione. Some believed them to be dead but Andromeda knew better. She knew they were waiting out there somewhere, waiting for their final chance to overthrow the one thing that stood between them and complete power. "Yes, I think this is it."

"Should we warn them?" Tonks asked. "I mean, the Minister said he is coming to investigate the whole thing himself. What if they are waiting for him? If they overthrow the Ministry…"

"I'll come with you," Andromeda said. "We will talk to the Minister together."

"No!" Tonks said. "They called for Aurors, mum. I can't let you go with me."

"Nymphadora Tonks, that was the first and last time you tell me what I can and cannot do," Andromeda said sharply. "I know Hermione better than anyone and I know her one sole weakness." She brushed a strand of hair out of her face and her eyes darkened. "She has destroyed me. If anything, I deserve one last chance to look her in the eye."

"And then what?" Tonks challenged.

"Remember what I said about destroying evil?" Andromeda squared her jaw. "The only way to get rid of it is by killing _all _of it." She took her wans of her bedside table. "It's what I intend to do.

Tonks stepped aside as her mother filed past her through the bedroom door. She saw the anger and pain in her eyes but knew better than to argue with her. She heaved a sigh and followed Andromeda down the stairs. They reached the front door and Andromeda opened it, revealing the heavy rain outside.

"Should we tell Molly?" Tonks asked but Andromeda's head snapped around.

"No," she said as she stepped out into the pouring rain. "They have suffered enough. No more of our friends will die because of this." The rain hammered down on her head and Tonks couldn't tell which were raindrops chasing down her mother's cheeks and which were tears. "Whatever happens, it ends tonight. There shall be no more death." She raised her wand, ready to Disapparate. "It's over."

~()~

The Atrium was alive with voices. Bright lights hovered in the air, conjured up by Aurors to help erase the shadows. The Minister himself had arrived and Albert McGuinnes found himself surrounded by Aurors who were both desperate to help as well as frightened by what had happened.

"How could someone have entered the Ministry without us knowing?" he asked. "Surely the alarms would have been raised?"

A red haired witch dressed in dark blue robes shook her head. "The alarms were deactivate, sir."

"How is that possible? No one knows the codes," McGuinnes answered, a sudden hint of fear evident in his voice. "Did the search come up with anything?"

Another Auror shook their heads. "No, sir. We searched every corridor and every department but we found nothing. Whatever, or whoever, killed Murray over there, is long gone."

"Sir?"

Everyone turned around when Tonks spoke and a few raised their eyebrows in surprise when they realised she wasn't alone. Someone gasped in shock at the sight of Andromeda and she was once again brutally reminded of how much she resembled her sister. The mere thought of Bellatrix made even some of the most skilled Aurors tremble and as she followed her daughter through the gathered crowd, she found some were unable to look at her.

"Tonks," McGuinnes said. He glanced over her shoulder. "Unless your mother is an Auror, I do not think she has any business being here."

"Actually, she has every business being here. She is the only person who can tell you what happened here," Tonks answered and McGuinnes' eyes widened. "But even more, she can tell you how to stop it from getting any worse."

McGuinnes studied Andromeda's face. "Go on."

"Bellatrix Lestrange, Narcissa Malfoy and Hermione Granger." The names rolled from her lips with such ease but she felt the sharp sting of pain near her heart.

"Excuse me?" McGuinnes asked. "No one has seen or heard from them since the Final Battle at Hogwarts and now you're saying they have something to do with this?"

Andromeda swallowed. "They have everything to do with this, Minister." Her dark eyes darted around. "I know that to many of you this may sound strange or completely unbelievable either, but those three witches have personally overthrown Lord Voldemort with the intention of ruling the world themselves. They had formed an allegiance stronger than you can ever imagine and they are indestructible."

"That's impossible," McGuinnes argued. "They are presumed dead, my dear woman. I don't know who has told you any different but…"

"I saw Hermione Granger the other night," Andromeda said and Tonks' eyes snapped in her mother's direction in shock. "She came to say goodbye and she seemed very much alive to me. Minister, whatever you do tonight, even if it is just one thing, believe everything I tell you. The bond between Bellatrix, Narcissa and Hermione can only be broken if one of them is killed. Their wands form a union that is unlike anything we have ever seen. Not even all of you together could defeat them if they are united in the same room." She paused. "I think they brought you here because they are planning to kill you."

Before McGuinnes could give another counter argument, the whole Atrium started shaking. The glass ceiling over their heads began to splinter and shards of glass rained down on them. People screamed in sudden fear and Andromeda spun around, her wand drawn, as her eyes darted around the chaos. Black cloaked figures started to appear around them, trapping them in a small circle. Their faces went hidden behind the old Death Eater masks but she realised quickly that the masks themselves had been changed. No longer did they bear the faces of humans. The masks were void of any sign of humanity at all and the old silver metal had been changed into shiny black, with only their eyes left visible.

She ducked as a large piece of glass shattered a few inches away from her and protected her head with her arms. The sounds of spells crashing into walls filled her ears and when she looked up another battle had broken out. Aurors were fighting masked witches and wizards. Andromeda just managed to avoid a Killing Curse that soared past her arm and jumped to the right, diving past a duelling Auror and her eyes darted around looking for Tonks.

She found her fighting a black cloaked wizard but recognised the blonde ponytail. "Yaxley!"

He turned around in surprise and it was enough for Tonks to respond. Her curse hit him straight in the chest and his mask fell away from his face as his body tumbled to the ground. His grey eyes glazed over as the life ebbed away from him. Andromeda ran past other fighting witches and wizards and reached her daughter. She had glass in her hair and blood seeped from her nose. The impact of the spells left the Ministry shaking. Walls had begun to crumble and smoke penetrated their noses.

"Where is McGuinnes?" Tonks shouted in an attempt to get herself heard over the sounds of battle.

"Better question, where are Bellatrix, Hermione and Narcissa?" Andromeda asked. "They would never let this happen without being able to watch. Bellatrix feeds of carnage!"

"Very good, sister dear," spoke a voice suddenly and Andromeda snapped around. A cloaked figure that had been fighting a blonde Auror had now turned around and without touching their mask it evaporated, revealing Bellatrix's face. A disdainful smirk graced her lips. "I knew you'd figure it sooner or later."

"Bellatrix," Andromeda hissed and aimed her wand. "So this is what you've been planning all along? An attempt to overthrow the Ministry?"

"I'd like to think we've already succeeded," Bellatrix chuckled and before Andromeda could respond the mask reappeared in front of her face, wrapping itself around her like black smoke, and she vanished into the battling crowd. Within seconds it was impossible to tell which of the masked individuals was Bellatrix and Andromeda looked at Tonks.

"Hermione isn't here."

Tonks stared at her mother in shock. "What? How do you know?"

"Their wands haven't connected," Andromeda said and pointed at the battling group. "They could easily have killed us all if they had been together. I bet Narcissa is here somewhere but Hermione isn't. Bellatrix would have loved to have seen the pain on my face if she had pointed her out. She isn't here."

"I can't see McGuinnes either," Tonks suddenly said. "You think she's got him?"

"God help him if she does," Andromeda sighed and her wand shot up to deflect a blue jet that had been brought off course and was about to hit them. It bounced off the tip of her wand, shot hallway across the room before hitting a masked figure in the back. Their body slumped forward and they lay motionless, their hand stretched out as if to reach for something nobody else could see.

"What do we do?" Tonks asked as she leapt from one foot onto the other as more glass landed on her head. "We have to do something!" Her eyes fixed on another Auror duelling two black cloaked figures and she silently cast a spell their way, taking down one of the masked duellists. "The Aurors are outnumbered. There is no way they are ever going to win this!"

"Hold them off for as long as you can," Andromeda said and pushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. "I am going to find Hermione. If I can bring her here, in front of Bellatrix and Narcissa…"

"Their wands will connect and you'll destroy this whole place!" Tonks objected.

Andromeda's eyes darkened. "Not if she dies first."

She didn't look back towards the battling crowd behind her as she began sprinting down one of the corridors leading away from the Atrium. The sounds of battle became more and more distant the further she ran. She turned around corners and opened doors that led to nowhere in particular. The corridors were quiet and there was nobody else here but her. It had been a long time since she visited the Ministry but the one thing she remembered was the way to get to the Minister's office. Ted had come in here a few times throughout their marriage, usually with Nymphadora, but a handful of times she had accompanied him too. She had never asked what he did here, she knew better than to ask questions she wasn't prepared to hear the answer to, but she suspected he was investigating people without anyone knowing. Maybe her husband had been some form of a spy. It was too late now to ask questions and Andromeda doubted she would ever fully know the truth.

She ran up two flights of stairs and her heart hammered in her chest. The back of her throat was dry and the muscles in her legs were burning by the time she had reached the next floor. She rested against the wall for a few seconds before continuing her journey. She slowed her pace the further she went and her ears pricked up at the sound of muffled voices coming from behind a solid oak door at the end of the corridor. Her instincts had led her here and her instincts had proven right. The golden sign outside the door had been engraved with black letters. Minister of Magic. Her heart sank as she studied it. McGuinnes had been over the moon when he had been appointed but that very moment in his life was now about to become his death.

She reached for the doorknob but just as her fingers brushed along the cold metal, the door swung open and she stared into Hermione's eyes. The brunette didn't seem surprised to find Andromeda on the other side of the door and the corners of her mouth twitched before turning into a devious smile.

"Andy." She said it so sweetly it made Andromeda feel sick. "How nice of you to join our little party."

The metal chains wrapped themselves around her waist before she could blink and Andromeda tried to hold on to her wand as Hermione pried it from her fingers. The cold metal pressed against her skin and whenever she breathed, it hurt and they seemed to tighten themselves a little more. She willed herself to slow down and felt the chains relax a little. Hermione cocked her head and studied the older woman's face.

"How did you know where I was?"

"I know you better than anyone," Andromeda answered. For the first time she saw the true change in the brunette's eyes. Hermione wasn't the same anymore. This was no longer the young witch who had kissed her on the landing back at the Burrow, who had looked at her with such fear in her eyes, afraid she was about to be rejected. This was not the young woman she had grown to love. "You know I do, Hermione. I know how you think." She paused. "I know what's in your heart."

"Shut up!" Hermione sneered and the tip of her wand made contact with the chain. Andromeda was dragged into the office and the door closed behind her. The office was a mess. Paperwork littered the floor and the large window that overlooked London had been shattered. Sharp pieces of glass had fallen to the ground and one of the expensive leather chairs had been ripped to pieces. There was something in the air, a smell of sorts, that Andromeda didn't recognise and her eyes darted around the office looking for McGuinnes. When she saw him her heart dropped.

Albert McGuinnes lay on his office floor, partially hidden away underneath his desk, curled up into a foetal position. A large pool of sick covered part of the expensive hard wooden floor and Andromeda realised with a shock that he was conscious. He blinked though his eyes seemed to be staring into the distance. Blood covered a large part of his face and she sat the bloodied marks across the floor as if he had been dragged to where he lay now. Albert McGuinnes bore all the signs of torture.

"What have you done?" Andromeda breathed and Hermione turned to look at her.

She lowered her wand and closed the distance between her and the dark haired witch. She slowly circled her, her body pressed against the cold metal chains, and her eyes reflected a twisted mixture of passion, anger and lust. "Shall we say that I have submitted the Minister to questioning?"

"He is practically dead!" Andromeda said.

Hermione softly giggled. "And that surprises you?"

"I knew you wouldn't be with them," Andromeda said. "Bellatrix and Narcissa are downstairs, killing Aurors, and you're up here, torturing him. How can you be so certain they will survive?"

Hermione cocked her head. "Because we planned this well, Andy. You don't think we walked in here without some serious thinking? You see, some of us do actually think before we act." She leant in and brushed her lips against Andromeda's cheek. "I have been thinking a lot recently. I know you miss me."

"Not as much as you like to think," Andromeda answered through gritted teeth. It was a lie and she knew that Hermione knew. For all the anger she harboured in her heart, she loved her still. When she saw her that night, in the pouring rain, she felt rage but she also felt love. They were brought back to each other in the same way Hermione always came back to Bellatrix and Narcissa. A bond of magic and a bond of love. Both seemed impossible to break. Her eyes fluttered shut as she felt Hermione's fingertips dance across her lips, following their soft curve, before coming to a rest under her chin. She tried to resist but Hermione's lips made contact with her own.

"You can't live without me."

A soft groan rose up from under the desk and Hermione turned around, clearly disgruntled, and aimed her wand. "CRUCIO!"

Right before Andromeda's eyes Albert McGuinnes started convulsing. His arms and legs jerked involuntarily and burning tears lashed his already bloodied skin. She watched in horror as his eyes rolled back into his head and a horrible sound gurgled up from the back of his throat. She fought to move closer to him, to protect him in some way, but the chains bound her to one place and the more she moved, the tighter her bounds became. The metal began to glow hotter and she flinched in pain as it blistered her skin.

"Stop!" she pleaded softly but Hermione didn't listen. She slowly walked towards the seizing man and grabbed the bottom of his robe and, whilst still shaking, dragged him from under the desk into the middle of the room. She flicked her wand again and again, in an almost stabbing motion, and the Cruciatus Curse hit his worn out body over and over again. The blood began to seep from his mouth as his airways constricted and Andromeda watched how his eyes began to bulge out of his head.

"STOP!" she cried, unable to watch him die. Tears had welled up in her eyes. "Hermione, just stop!" The brunette curiously looked over her shoulder at Andromeda. "If I ever meant anything to you, you let him live!"

Hermione withdrew her wand and circled the now bloodied man. Vomit clung to one side of his face and dark yellow bile had stained his robes. Blood continued to pour from his nose and mouth and the veins in his eyes had burst, replacing the white with red. Slowly she dropped to her knees beside him and reached for his left arm. Andromeda gasped as Hermione rolled up the sleeve of his robes and placed the tip of her wand against his wrist. The scent of burning flesh filled the office and Andromeda felt her stomach turn. When Hermione withdrew her wand she saw the mark of the Three Cores on the Minister's wrist.

"Shall we say that the Minister has had a change of heart when it comes to who really is power?" Hermione said as she rose up to her full figure. "When he comes round he'll realise what it is he needs to do." A smile spread across her lips. "The only thing he can do."

"You never meant to kill him," Andromeda whispered, suddenly realising she had been wrong all along. She studied Hermione's face. "You don't want him to die."

"Not really," Hermione smiled as she walked away Albert McGuinnes and approached Andromeda. With a simple flick of her wand the chains evaporated into smoke and the dark haired witch was free to move. Her lings eagerly expanded, no longer afraid to be tied down, and she looked at Hermione. "We need him to be alive. We never meant to take the Ministry ourselves."

"You just needed him." Andromeda's eyes fluttered shut when she felt Hermione's fingers caress her arm. "You want him to recognise you. You want the Ministry on your side."

"Very good," Hermione whispered and she leant in. Her breath was warm against Andromeda's skin and she kissed the side of her neck, letting the tip of tongue dance across the older woman's pulse point. "You see now, Andy?" Her teeth grazed across the now burning flesh. Though no longer bound by chains and free to move, Andromeda stood frozen. Hermione continued to kiss the side of her neck, journeying slowly upwards until she reached the corner of Andromeda's mouth. Her tongue teasingly pressed against her lower lip.

"Don't…do…this…," Andromeda managed to whisper as Hermione bit down softly on her lips. Her heart pounded against her ribcage and as Hermione pressed herself closer against her body, a tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach betrayed her longing. She softly parted her lips and felt a lonely tear trickle down her cheek when she met Hermione's tongue with her own.

"You hate me and yet you want me still," Hermione whispered into the kiss and gently let her right hand trail across Andromeda's upper body. She was dressed in simple dark red robes and Hermione encountered the swell of her breasts through the soft fabric. She groaned softly when she recognised the hardened nipple under her fingertips and leant in further to kiss Andromeda harder. "Your love for me is stronger than the hate you harbour in your heart."

"I can't…" Andromeda's words died on the tip of her tongue and she turned her head away from the brunette. "Please, just leave, Hermione."

"Really? You want me to leave?" Hermione whispered. Strong hands closed around Andromeda's wrists and she spun the brunette around before pushing her backwards until she collided with the wooden desk. Andromeda whimpered as the pain spread through her body but when Hermione's lips captured her own once again, she briefly forgot where she was, what had happened here and even that a few steps away from her a man lay on the floor, close to dying.

Hermione's hands wandered down further across Andromeda's body and she hoisted up the witch's robes, revealing her bare legs. She parted Andromeda's thighs with her knees and placed herself between them, pinning her against the desk. Andromeda supported herself by putting all her weight on her arms and hands and shivered when she felt Hermione's fingers in the back of her neck. Her breath hitched when Hermione's other hand began to trail up her thigh and eventually reached the soft lace of her underwear.

"I'll stop if you tell me to," Hermione said and stilled her hand. Hazel eyes connected with dark brown and the twistedness of this situation was evident to both of them. She placed her lips against Andromeda's ear. "Tell me to stop and I will. Tell me to leave and you will never see me again."

Andromeda removed one hand from the desk and placed it against Hermione's arm. "Don't leave me."

She threw her head back when Hermione's fingers pushed past the lace of her underwear and encountered the hot wetness of her core. A raw cry escaped her as the brunette entered her and she wrapped both her arms around Hermione's back in support as she thrusted two fingers deep inside of her. Everything about this was wrong. She wasn't supposed to be here. She wasn't supposed to let this happen. Tears welled up in her eyes as she felt Hermione's soft lips caress the side of her neck and she pressed herself against her twisted lover's body. The thrusts were rough and hard, unlike any other moment they had shared together, and the pain in her chest didn't subside.

She hit her climax unexpectedly and the tears streamed down her face. She kept her eyes closed, unable to look at the young woman who now kissed the tears from her cheeks.

"I will always love you," Hermione whispered, her lips soft and warm against Andromeda's face. "Of all the things you believe I have done wrong, I have done one thing right." She moved away from the older woman and turned around.

Andromeda's eyes snapped open and she pushed herself off the desk. Hermione stood in the open doorway, strong and wild like the warrior Andromeda knew she had become. Between them lay a world of difference, with a distance she knew they could never bridge. This was their goodbye. For all the love in the world could not undo what had been done, couldn't fix what had been broken, couldn't give back what had been taken away. In Hermione's eyes she saw the shattered fragments of a soul but she knew, deep down, she belonged in a world so different from the one they lived in now.

"Your love for me is not enough," Andromeda said as their gazes locked. "You belong with them just like they belong with you. Loving me is never going to be enough because you will always love them too." She swallowed. "I am supposed to hate you, and God knows that a part of my heart always will do just that. But it cannot erase the love that was engraved into it, that still holds together those broken shards somehow."

Hermione swallowed. "You know you will have to kill me some day."

"How can you love your killer?" Andromeda asked.

"Because I know she never will become my killer. You will never be able to do it." Hermione let go of the door handle, cast one last glance at Andromeda and then sprinted down the corridor, disappearing into the darkness.

Andromeda covered her face in her hands. She had been so determined to destroy her. To break her apart like she had felt her own heart break but she couldn't do it. They were just as bound together now as Hermione was to her two sisters. She wiped the last tear from her cheek and lifted up her head from her hands.

"Goodbye, Hermione."

* * *

**Translation of chapter title:** Day of Wrath


	36. Ashes of War

**A/N**: I started writing this chapter immediately after finishing the previous chapter but got held up by work (how rude!) before I could finish it. I hope that throughout you get an idea of what the world has become.  
Two more things: Go to YouTube and listen to Immediate Music's "Ashes of War". That piece of music is what I played over and over when I wrote this chapter, hence the title. And... a small idea has started to develop for a multi-chaptered Hermione/Andromeda story for those of you who have said I should write one. So Team Andy, get ready because something will be heading your way soon!

* * *

**Chapter 36**

"**Ashes of War"**

_ When you knew that it was over_  
_ Were you suddenly aware_  
_ That the autumn leaves were turning_  
_ To the color of her hair?_

_~Noel Harrison - The Windmills of Your Mind**  
**_

It was a dawn unlike any other. The skies were a dark shade of grey, with black clouds obscuring the sun. It had not stopped raining since the previous day and large muddy pools of water had formed across the streets. The grass was soggy and the raindrops lashed violently against the window. The sound was monotone and erased some of the thoughts that lingered in her head. She had not slept. She barely remembered how she had made her way home the previous night but she sat in the arm chair by the window, gazing out into a changed world outside. In her lap rested a photo frame, the picture facing up. She remembered the night she had shown it to her. It felt like a lifetime ago. That life was gone now. Long lost and forgotten in this dark, twisted world outside.

"The Prophet's here." The sound of her daughter's voice roused Andromeda from her thoughts and she looked up. Tonks stood in the living room doorway, freshly showered and with her hair still wet. She clutched the newspaper and Andromeda briefly wondered if she actually wanted to see what it would say.

"How bad?"

"Worse than we thought."

~()~

Black Manor was the scene of chaos. Empty bottles of mead and Firewhisky littered the floor. Candles had burnt down and dried wax hung from shelves, tables and chandeliers. Cushions had been thrown off sofas and random figures lay sleeping across the floor. The scent of stale sweat and alcohol lingered in the air. The gracious appearance of the manor had fallen victim to the celebrations which had lasted until the sun rose over the horizon. Those too drunk to travel had fallen asleep right there but now, as the hands on the clock pointed at almost eleven o'clock in the morning, the house slowly came to life.

Hermione pushed the silk sheets away from her and glanced down at her naked body. Covered in bruises, cuts and grazes she was reminded of how she, Bellatrix and Narcissa had celebrated their victory last night. She felt the warm bodies of her lovers lying beside her, Bellatrix's arm still snaked around her waist and Narcissa's hand still in her hair. Their bodies bore the same marks of passion and lust, and a silver metal chain still sat wound around Narcissa's wrist where it had tied her to the bed earlier in the night. The red blisters left behind by the candle wax sat proudly on Bellatrix's back.

Her gaze fell on the newspaper that had appeared at the end of the bed and Hermione sat up, brushed a strand of unruly hair out of her face and leant over to pick up the paper. The front page had been printed with big, bold black letters. **MINISTER APPOINTS NEW INQUISITORS. **Underneath there were three proud pictures of Bellatrix, Narcissa and herself, dressed in identical black robes and pointing their wands at the photographer. There were no smiles on their faces, no kindness in their eyes.

Underneath the picture the article went on that Minister of Magic Albert McGuinnes decided to shake up the lay out of the Ministry and its organisation. Bellatrix Lestrange, Narcissa Malfoy and Hermione Granger were from now on controlling the actual Ministry and the Minister would only fill a ceremonious task. Bellatrix also overlooked the judicial and prosecution system whereas Hermione Granger would be in charge of Education and Development. Narcissa Malfoy would be in charge of recruiting new officers and eliminating those no longer suitable for their positions. The Auror Office would be abolished and all the staff would submit themselves to subsequent investigation and await trial if it was found they had performed inadequately. Azkaban prison would become the permanent prison for those suspected of any form of crime and the different levels in security were squashed only to be replaced with a tougher, crueller system led by several of the warriors they had recruited before attacking the Ministry. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry would be led by Alecto and Amycus Carrow, to former Death Eaters who had since sided with the Three Cores, and they would report directly to Hermione. Teachers already working at Hogwarts were expected to follow the new curriculum and those questioning the new rules would be fired and faced time in Azkaban.

Hermione put down the paper and smiled to herself. The world had woken up to their dominance. The Minister of Magic, marked for the rest of his life, had pleaded for his life once he had found the strength to sit on his knees. Hermione had gone downstairs to observe the battle in the Atrium and had found that many of the Aurors had been killed or taken prisoner. Bellatrix and Narcissa had stood in the middle of the Atrium, surrounded by debris and glass and without their masks. She had joined them and they had raised their wands in victory. The strength of the explosion had destroyed what little there was left of the Atrium.

Beside her Bellatrix stirred and lazily rolled from her stomach onto her back, exposing her bare breasts and drawing a soft gasp from Hermione as she observed the beautiful raven haired woman waking up. She slowly lay back down, resting her head on her lover's shoulder, and kissed her bare skin. "The world has fallen."

Charcoal orbs found hazel brown. "The sun rises over a world that has been reborn."

"And we are delivering it." Narcissa had pushed herself up on her elbow and her blue eyes lingered on Bellatrix and Hermione before moving towards them. Their bodies fitted together in a perfect match and Hermione's eyes slowly closed when she felt Narcissa's soft fingers draw circles on her bare thigh. The blonde's warm breath caressed her skin as Bellatrix leant in and brushed her lips against hers.

The scars on their wrist reflected the change within this world. The scar now also sat on the wrist of the Minister of Magic and his mind lingered the terrifying moments when Hermione had hovered over his heaving body. All he heard were the echoes of her torturous whispers. By dawn he had stared out of his office window over a world that would never again belong to him.

"There is work to be done," Bellatrix whispered as she let her lips linger just under Hermione's ear. "The world needs to be awoken."

The corners of Hermione's lips curled as she nuzzled herself a little closer against her lovers' bodies. "They will see," she said, a dark twinkle appearing in her eyes. "They will see and they will learn."

~()~

Throughout the next few days everything around them changed. Andromeda could not remember the last time she had seen the simple beauty of a sunrise. The world seemed permanently shrouded in darkness, with thick grey mist pressing against the windows of her cottage. A cold, chilling wind howled around the house and every so often she would catch a glimpse of dark shadows moving around outside but they never came close. She felt their watchful eye on her.

The changes were devastating. After the arrival of the morning edition of the Daily Prophet, a second edition arrived that same evening announcing the arrest of all the Aurors who had once worked for the Ministry in what was described as a 'preliminary investigation into insubordinate behaviour' but which coincided with an article about the Dementors in Azkaban being allowed to now enter the prison instead of being forced to stay outside and guard the boundaries as well as a reminder for all magical children between the ages of eleven and seventeen to report back to Hogwarts by the start of the next week for the continuation of the school year. A picture of Hermione had been printed right next to one of the castle, a cruel reminder of how she was both responsible for its destruction as well as its rebirth. There were mentions of Bellatrix and Narcissa in the articles describing the investigation into the Aurors as well as the new system designed for Azkaban.

Andromeda threw the paper into the fire place where the orange flames began eating away at Hermione's picture until only glowing ashes remained. She covered her face in her hands and only looked up when she heard the door to the living room open. Tonks appeared in the open doorway and when she saw her mother sitting on the sofa she quickly crossed the room.

"I don't understand it," she said softly as she protectively wrapped an arm around her mother's shoulders. "They know where I am. Why have they not come to arrest me? They have rounded up every other Auror in the Ministry."

"They are not going to arrest you," Andromeda said. "She isn't going to let them."

"_She_?" Tonks asked. Surprise was evident in her voice. "You think Hermione has something to do with me not being arrested?"

Andromeda nodded. "I'm sure of it." She heaved a sigh. "I know this is going to sound absolutely ridiculous but somewhere, deep down, I believe she loves me."

Tonks stared at her mother in bewilderment. "Have you lost your mind?"

Andromeda sadly smiled. "Maybe I have but I know Hermione better than anyone, Nymphadora."

"I don't think you ever knew her at all," Tonks said sharply as she arched an eyebrow. "What makes you so certain some brain washed Ministry official isn't going to kick down this door today or tomorrow and throw me into Azkaban?"

Andromeda stood up and crossed the room towards the window. "I can't explain it. I just know it. The world has changed out there. Nothing is ever going to be like it was." The truth of those words lingered between them for a few moments before Andromeda spoke again. "Hermione became what she is because of something that was done to her. Ron destroyed a large part of her before Bellatrix even got close to her. Whatever happened after that was well beyond our control." She slowly turned around to face her daughter. "There are two sides to every story, Nymphadora, and there are two sides to every person too."

"You think Hermione always had a dark side?" Tonks asked. "You think all of us have a darker side we do not choose to act on?" She too stood up. "If that is true it means Bellatrix and Narcissa have a lighter side that they choose to ignore." She couldn't suppress a chuckle. "Somehow I just can't imagine Bellatrix stopping to smell the flowers, mum."

"Life can change a person. Bellatrix wasn't born this way and neither was Hermione, nor Narcissa. We take different paths in life and whatever road we choose, whatever troubles are thrown at us, they create the person we become. It doesn't mean we can't change our destiny and Hermione did just that. She changed her destiny after she was brought off course but somewhere deep down, that seed had already been sown. It goes back to well before she met Ron. The seed found her the day that wand chose her. All the flower had to do was grow."

Tonks cocked her head. "If what you're saying is true then every course can still be altered."

"You heard Ollivander, darling. The bond between the Three Cores can only be broken by death. Wands and souls connect in a way we people fail to understand. There is so much darkness to wand lore we choose not to see because it will force us to recognise evil and darkness when we'd rather not see it," Andromeda said. "But a dragon heartstring core is often believed to perform better when instructed with the Dark Arts. That much has always been clear. When I first learnt Hermione's wand possessed a dragon heartstring for its core, long before I knew of its true heritage, I was surprised. I have known very few witches and wizards who possessed such a core and were not lured to the dark side."

"Your wand possesses a dragon heart string core!" Tonks interjected and stared at her mother.

Andromeda sadly smiled. "Family trait, I'm afraid." She met her daughter's gaze. "Minerva's wand had a dragon heartstring core too."

"You know, Ollivander smiled when I first got my wand," Tonks said as she reached into her pocket and withdrew it. She rolled it through her hands. "When he told me it had a unicorn hair for its core, I just couldn't stop smiling myself. I always thought unicorns were so beautiful and so rare, so gracious and so strong."

"The perfect wand for you," Andromeda said softly and fondly remembered the day she had taken her daughter to Diagon Alley to buy her wand. Unlike most other objects around Tonks, the wand had survived her growing up and she still had the same one as when she was eleven. "I said it the day you first got your wand, and I will say it again now."

"You also said that unicorn hair produces the most consistent magic and are the most difficult to turn to the Dark Arts. They are the most faithful of all wands," Tonks said and she felt a sense of pride flutter in her chest. "You knew, even back then, that there was a chance that some of your sisters' darkness had found its way into my blood, just by being related to them, didn't you?"

Andromeda nodded. "When Ollivander said your wand possessed a unicorn hair core, I knew that whatever darkness had found itself inside my sisters, wouldn't find itself in my child. I know that my own wand is easiest to turn to the Dark Arts. Dragon heartstring wands are known to be some of the most powerful wands, a trait welcomed greatly when surrounded by darkness."

"So this is it then?" Tonks said softly and stared out of the window into the misty world outside. "This is the world we now live in?"

Andromeda's eyes fluttered shut and she felt a single tear chase down her cheek. "It is home now."

~()~

Hours turned into days and days changed into weeks. The sun never broke through the endless deck of clouds and it rained for days on end, washing away whatever little bit of brightness remained in the world. The crowd that had gathered at Kings Cross Station to see off their children to Hogwarts was smaller than previous years and many of the parents didn't linger on the platform to wave their children goodbye. Their faces were dull and gaunt, with their eyes sunken deep into their heads. The children's faces behind the windows no longer reflected excitement. Many still harboured the warm and cheerful memories of Hogwarts before the destruction of everything, and they knew they were not returning to a place where the sound of their laughter would echo off the walls. What they found instead was a cold and barren castle, stripped off its four houses and void of paintings that whispered in excitement at the arrival of the students. All that remained was the Great Hall with its ceiling resembling the dark skies outside, and simple wooden benches and tables and torches that lit up the entire castle, their orange flames casting haunting shadows across every wall.

Death Eaters who had defected to the side of the Three Cores made up about had the teaching staff. Only a few original teachers remained after most had walked out, unable to face the changes. Horace Slughorn had since been arrested and sentenced to Azkaban. He had died within a week. The students were forced to study the most brutal forms of Dark Arts and the school had adopted an almost military regime. There was no more segregation between pure bloods, half bloods and Muggleborns but instead they learnt about the "persecution of those who had opposed the True Power."

Azkaban prison had become the new home for many of the Aurors who had once worked for the Ministry. Some had already been sentenced to life imprisonment, whilst others still awaited their unfair trials. Many had since lost their minds within the prison walls. Dementors hovered outside their cell doors, sucking up whatever little bit of hope and happiness they still cherished. They would scream and scream for nights and days on end but eventually all their voices died and only a terrifying silence remained.

Albert McGuinnes had only shown himself to the Wizarding community a handful of times and whenever Andromeda saw his picture in the Prophet, she noticed the empty, hollow eyes. Bellatrix, Narcissa or Hermione always stood right behind him, as a silent reminder that he would never be able to speak for himself. Even the words printed onto the paper carried the echo of their voices. Though standing in the background, the smiles graces their faces and Andromeda noticed how their hands were always linked in a display of twisted union and loyalty.

There was resistance against this world though it was small and hardly successful. Andromeda had read, much to her horror, that Ginny Weasley had been arrested after leading a small group of former Hogwarts students, many of which had been friends of Harry, Ron and Hermione and whom had decided to go into hiding instead of returning to school, in an attempt to break into the Ministry and kill Bellatrix, Hermione and Narcissa. Several of the young witches and wizards were killed but Ginny was used as an example and was publically put on trial where Bellatrix, who was enjoying her seat of power, suggested an execution instead of imprisonment.

A picture of 'the traitor's family' had been printed alongside the article. It had been the first time Andromeda saw Molly and Arthur, the latter still bearing the scars of battle. Charlie, Fred and George were sitting next to their parents, their faces emotionless and pale. Ginny's execution was changed into life imprisonment in Azkaban but Andromeda knew that the young redhead would soon beg to be killed instead. She resisted going to see Molly and Arthur. This was what the world had become. There was nothing else they could do. They had lost.

~()~

It was late. Darkness had fallen hours ago. Hermione looked up as the sound of footsteps echoed off the hard wooden floors of Black Manor. Dressed in elegant, figure hugging black robes and with her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, she looked strong, powerful and strangely angelic. Her eyes fixed on the door and the corners of her mouth curled up when she recognised Bellatrix.

"Any news?" she asked as she crossed the room before wrapping her arms around her lover's neck. Warm lips encountered cold ones. Bellatrix had been outside. She could smell the rain on her hair.

"We have made them an offer. Either they sign themselves over to us and we'll release their daughter, or we will send two warriors at dawn and they will all die." Bellatrix's dark eyes glistened. "Who would have thought the Weasley family would actually consider defecting."

"They are not going to be very useful but they are the last remaining pillar of the other world," Hermione smiled as she let her warm lips dance across Bellatrix's neck. She felt her lover's heart rate quicken under the tip of her tongue and smiled. Bellatrix's turned her head to meet her lover's lips and Hermione's breath hitched when Bellatrix's teeth sank down into her bottom lip, drawing blood. A soft moan escaped her and her hands closed around the raven haired woman's wrists before pushing her across the room, slamming her into the wall. Bellatrix's back arched at the sudden impact and Hermione chuckled almost demonically into the searing kiss. They tasted each other's blood on their lips.

She released Bellatrix's wrists and her hands journey upwards to untie the laces of Bellatrix's corset. The garment fell away from her upper body with ease, revealing her breasts and swollen nipples. Lowering herself slightly, Hermione's tongue teased one of the hardened buds and Bellatrix groaned softly. Her hands tangled in Hermione's hair, grasping tight hold of her ponytail. Impatient hands tucked at the belt that held Bellatrix's leather trousers in place and whilst her left hand grazed her lover's full breasts, her right dipped behind the waist band and yanked the trousers down half way Bellatrix's thighs. She could smell the scent of her lover's arousal and lowered herself further to the floor until she sat on her knees.

Hermione placed butterfly kisses on the inside of Bellatrix's thigh and blew warm air across her lover's most sensitive spot. Slender fingers danced across glowing skin before she dipped gently into the wet folds and entered Bellatrix. The dark haired woman released a primal cry as her fingers dug into the flesh of Hermione's shoulders. Hermione continued thrusting, adding a second finger to withdraw another outcry from Bellatrix. Slowly she moved in, and the tip of her tongue grazed over Bellatrix's most sensitive spot. Pain spread through her body as Bellatrix's nails scratched across her flesh and she felt the warm sensation of blood trickling down her back.

Bellatrix hooked one leg across Hermione's shoulders, pinning her lover in place, and her hands grasped a firm hold of Hermione's hair. Charcoal eyes rolled back into her head as she felt the first surges of an orgasm spread through her body and when her body exploded, her legs trembled and Hermione's arms closed around her lover's lower body to keep her pinned against the wall. Slowly she pushed herself up until she rested her body against Bellatrix and leant in to kiss her. The dark witch could taste herself on the brunette's lips and smiled. Hermione's hands wandered over Bellatrix's naked breasts, feeling the nipples harden once again under her touch. As Bellatrix's lips moved from Hermione's down to the side of her neck and the tip of her tongue tasted the faint hint of salty sweat on her glowing skin, her eyes fluttered shut.

Bellatrix pulled up the soft fabric of Hermione's robes until she revealed her lovers thighs. Two fingers pushed past the satin underwear and entered the damp area between her legs. Hermione's arms closed around Bellatrix's neck as the older woman's fingers pressed deep inside of her. She threw her head back, revealing the pulsating vein on her neck and Bellatrix attacked it with aggression. Her dark eyes searched the room for somewhere to put Hermione down and as she removed her fingers, resulting in a soft moan from Hermione, she led her across the room until they reached the sofa. She pushed Hermione down until she lay against the arm rest, with one leg pulled up and the other firmly on the ground. Bellatrix placed herself between her young lover's thighs and dipped her hand between her legs once again. Her left hand pulled the soft robes away from Hermione's chest, revealing her breasts, and hot lips closed around a hardened nipple and continued to thrust in and out of her lover.

Her heart pounded against her ribcage and the back of her throat became dry. Bellatrix's touches were rough and urgent and Hermione arched her back into them. She felt the release build up inside of her and she tried to look at Bellatrix for as long as she could until her eyes closed, mere seconds before her body exploded, and she felt the sudden shock of electricity spread through her veins when from the depths of her mind she did not call up the memory of the raven haired witch, but the one who resembled her so much. For a split second, somewhere between falling over the edge and the collapse that came after, she caught a glimpse of Andromeda's face before it vanished into the shadows of her mind.

When her eyes opened, the memory had long since faded back into the darkness, but the image remained burned into her eyes. Hazel eyes stared up at Bellatrix, her chest still rising and falling quickly, and she snaked her arms around her lover's neck before burying her face in her hair. Bellatrix kissed the side of her neck, tasting the sweat that clung to her skin. They lay like this, tangled up in each other's arms, surrounded only by candle light and the sound of rain hammering against the glass.

~()~

Somewhere across the country Andromeda sat up a jolt. Beads of sweat glistened on her forehead and strands of dark brown hair had fallen into her eyes. Her heart pounded against her ribcage and she looked around the room, trying to identify what it was that had awoken her. The curtains rustled slightly as the strong wind found its way through the partially open bedroom window. The rain lashed against the darkened glass.

Suddenly she realised what it was that had roused her from her sleep. A face, appearing from the shadows, had hovered above her for just a split second. The back of her throat became dry as she closed her eyes and tried to remember exactly what had happened. The tingling feeling in the pit of her stomach was followed by a cold shiver that crept down her spine. She knew that face as well as she knew her own. Her eyes snapped back open and she released the breath she had been holding as she fell back into the soft pillows on her bed.

Hermione.

When she became aware of the warm, damp feeling between her legs she sat back up and her eyes snapped towards the window. The flash of lightning cut across the ink black sky but the only thing she saw was her own reflection in the rain stained glass.


	37. Meant to Be

**A/N:** I spent most of this morning wondering what I was going to do after the somewhat strange ending in the previous chapter but then finally something came to me. It is another idea that's been playing around in my head for this story for a while but it never seemed to fit before but now it might just do. This story has carried on far longer than I imagined and I can't quite envision an ending so I don't know if we are anywhere near. Anyway, here is chapter 37 and in case someone is interested, I was once again inspired by an instrumental piece whilst writing this. It is called "Meant to Be", by Two Steps From Hell. Of course, the title for this chapter has once again been derived from that piece of music also. ~Cissy

* * *

**Chapter 37**

**"Meant To Be"  
**

She could not sleep anymore and as her feet made contact with the soft carpet in her bedroom, Andromeda wrapped the bed sheets around herself before crossing the room towards the window and quickly closed it. The glass felt cold under her fingertips and she shivered as she remembered Hermione's face. Another lightning flash cut through the darkness outside and illuminated her face. Her breath hitched as she caught the glimpse of the dark cloaked figure standing underneath the old oak tree across the garden. Darkness swallowed up the image and Andromeda pressed both her hands against the glass, followed by her face, in an attempt to catch another look. She saw nothing.

A shiver crept down her spine as she started for the bedroom door. She changed her mind about half way, turned back and quickly got changed into a simple pair of robes that lay across the arm chair beside the bed. She picked up her wand from the bedside table and padded across the landing down the creaking staircase. When she reached the front door she looked over her shoulder to make sure that Nymphadora had not heard her get up and once reassured that the house was still covered in silence, she removed the chain and opened the door.

The sound of the pouring rain was almost deafening and it came down so fast and heavy that she could barely see a hand in front of her face. Thick, black clouds obscured the moon and she took a deep breath before stepping out of the door and into the night. Her gaze was immediately drawn to the tall oak tree in the back of the garden and she was about to turn around, convinced it had just been her imagination fooling her, when another flash of lightning lit up the sky.

Her heart froze. The dark clad figure still stood where she had first seen it, their face obscured by their hood. She could just about make out the shape of their face but then the darkness fell again. Andromeda grasped a firmer hold of her wand and finally stepped from the covered doorstep into the pouring rain. The intensity and the sheer strength with which it hammered down on her actually made her shoulders ache. The garden had turned into a muddy mess, with large puddles of water everywhere. She waded across the soggy mess, fully aware of the cold rainwater seeping into her shoes and dripping behind her clothes. Her wet robes clung to her body and her hands started to tremble as the cold began to invade her bones.

When Andromeda reached the oak tree she found the cloaked figure had moved even further away, almost crouching down in the shadows. She slowly raised her wand and whispered, "Lumos." The tip began to glow and the weak silver light lit up the visitor's face. Andromeda blinked a few times in an attempt to force the rain out of her eyes and then she covered her mouth with her hand.

"Ginny!" She took a step towards the youngest Weasley child in an attempt to protect her from the violent weather. The roaring sound of thunder over their heads made her look up, suddenly alarmed. "For Heaven's sake, dear, what are you doing out here? Come on, let's get you inside!" She tried to take the redhead's arm but Ginny pulled away as if burnt by fire. Andromeda's eye narrowed. "Ginny, what's going on? How did you get here? How did you get away from…"

"I escaped." Ginny's voice was so soft that Andromeda had to strain herself to hear it. "I can't come in, Andy. I am not supposed to be here."

"What do you mean; you're not supposed to be here?" Andromeda asked. She brushed a strand of wet hair out of her face. "Have you seen your parents? They were so worried! I mean, we all understand why you had to do it but they thought they would never see you again."

"They won't," Ginny said, still refusing to make eye contact. "It is why I came to you."

"Will you please come inside?" Andromeda whispered. "Standing out here, in the rain…"

"It is the only place where it's safe," Ginny interjected and slowly reached up to lower her hood. Andromeda followed the redheads hand with her wand and the silver glow fell across Ginny's pale face. She let out a soft gasp when she discovered the long, ugly scar that covered the left side of Ginny's face, starting just below her eye and reaching all the way down to the corner of her mouth. The flesh looked red and sore and the cut had not yet fully healed. Andromeda's eyes filled with tears.

"Bellatrix did this?" she whispered.

Ginny snorted and she let her fingertips dance across the unsightly wound. "Actually, this is Narcissa's handy work." She shook her head. "A goodbye present, of sorts. I think she called it 'a reminder.'"

"A reminder? A reminder of what?"

"Of never being able to be free again," Ginny said slowly. Her eyes darted over Andromeda's shoulder at the cottage and she seemed torn between the earlier offer to go inside or remain out here. Light brown eyes closed briefly only to open again, riddled with tears. "I think I would like to go inside after all."

Andromeda wrapped a protective arm around the young redhead and guided her into the house. The second she closed the front door behind them she felt the comfortable warmth of the house seep into her bones. Ginny walked into the living room and sat down on the floor in front of the fire. Andromeda aimed her wand and the flames roared up a little higher, filling the room with an orange glow and slowly erasing the cold wetness that they had brought in with them.

"What happened?" Andromeda asked as she handed Ginny a blanket she kept lying across the back of one of the sofas and the redhead eagerly wrapped it around herself. Suddenly was shaking.

"It was all Bellatrix," she said softly. "From the moment I was arrested and sent to Azkaban, it was all her. I heard some of the other prisoners say how she never bothered to do the interrogations herself but she came to see me not once but twice." Her voice trailed off. "She wanted information and I fought for as long as I could but I couldn't keep fighting. She broke me eventually. I barely remember telling her but whatever I shared, she used it to round up the rest of the resistance." Ginny's eyes fixed on the dancing flames in the fireplace. "And she used it to get to mum and dad."

"Bellatrix has your parents?" Andromeda felt her heart sink in her chest.

"No. She has a way to break them, like she broke me," Ginny answered. "My life for their loyalty. By dawn they will hand themselves over to Bellatrix." Light brown eyes looked up to meet Andromeda's eyes. "When they do, there will only be you left, Andy. They took everyone, in one way or another. When the sun rises, all that remains from the times before all of this, is you."

"Then why aren't you with them?" Andromeda asked. "I'm sure they would love to see you."

"Let them think I am dead," Ginny said meekly. "They are better off if they do not know that it was me who sold out the rest of our resistance, whatever there was left anyway. Let them live some sort of life, albeit in the shadow of the Cores. Bellatrix never meant for me to get away tonight. They were going to take me some place where my parents could see me, away from Azkaban, almost like a last goodbye. Bellatrix claimed she had changed her mind and she was going to execute me at first light."

"After your parents had signed themselves over in the belief that they had saved you." Andromeda's eyes narrowed. "Bellatrix was never able to keep a promise. Not even when she was a child. The deceit was planted inside of her ever since the beginning." She sighed. "How did you escape?"

"Bellatrix left me in the care of a couple of her minions. Defected Death Eaters probably, or some other lowlife idiot she has picked up somewhere," Ginny said and the venom in her words reminded Andromeda of the strong willed, somewhat stubborn fighter Ginny had once been. She had not lost that passion, she had not lost the fire that roared within her, but she had been subdued and been confronted by the painful loss that was brought along by war. "They were bringing me to some cliff top. I remember seeing a small castle. They struggled with the protective spells and all it took was a moment of weakness…"

Andromeda smiled. "You took your chance."

"I managed to take one of their wands and Dissapparated. I wasn't sure where I was going but I had to get away from that cliff top. Once I was gone, there was no way they could follow me. It was dark and it was raining when I arrived in London. I needed time to think and a place to hide, just for a couple of hours." Ginny wrapped the blanket a little tighter around her now shaking body. "I went to Diagon Alley."

"Diagon Alley? I thought everything had been closed down and boarded up?" Andromeda asked. It had been another one of the changes since the Cores came into power. A lot of the businesses had been moved down to Knockturn Alley but most of the brightly coloured shops that had drawn so many to the cobbled alleyway were now empty.

The corner of Ginny's mouth twitched. "Depends on who you talk to. There is more to Diagon Alley than meets the eye."

"So that's where the resistance organised itself," Andromeda smiled. "I always wondered how you managed to regroup yourself. Diagon Alley became your base, didn't it?"

"The old storage room at the back of Ollivander's wand shop. The front was destroyed months ago but the old storage room is still intact. It can be reached from the alley as well as from down below. You have no idea about the ingenious layout of London's sewage system until you start making your way down there," Ginny said. There was a glint of hope in her eye as she talked about the resistance. "The wands that Ollivander believed were no good were kept there. Some were a bit temperamental but most of them did allright. It was safe and it was warm." She sighed. "Until I told Bellatrix where to find it."

"It wasn't your fault, Ginny," Andromeda said. "She left you no choice. She would have killed you."

"She would have killed me anyway. I think I would have died happier knowing I didn't sell out my friends," Ginny flared up. "Anyway, it's too late now." She fixed her eyes on the fire. "Pretty much all of them are in Azkaban and soon, most of them will be dead." She swallowed. "I know that by dawn I will be."

"You really want your parents to believe you're dead?" Andromeda asked. "You want them to sign themselves over to Hermione and Bellatrix and forget all that we have given up, all that we have lost? Don't you think that if they knew you live, they would find it inside themselves to fight once again?"

"What is there left to fight for?" Ginny asked and let the blanket slide from her body. She fingered the soft material, letting her fingertips dance across the flowered pattern. "We have lost so much."

"Don't let them lose you too." Andromeda's eyes searched Ginny's face. "Go home. They no longer have a reason so hand themselves over if they know you are safe and sound. It is a blow to Bellatrix that they have lost you. She was counting on them to switch sides. It would have been another slap in their faces, and in mine too."

"Maybe you're right."

"I don't hear that very often," Andromeda smiled. "You can stay here till morning, if you want. It is not safe out there in the dark."

"It isn't safe in the light either," Ginny countered and Andromeda had to admit she was right. The young redhead pushed herself up. "I think I should go." She took a deep breath and caressed the scar across her face. "Mum is going to have a heart attack when she sees this."

"I am sure she can heal it," Andromeda tried to reassure her but Ginny pulled a face.

"Maybe on the outside, Andy." She slowly rolled up the sleeve of her left arm and revealed her wrist. The burn mark was unmistakable. "But she can never erase this and what it stands for. Ironic, isn't it? Bellatrix branded me as being part of the one thing I have grown to despise. From now on everyone will look at me and wonder what happened to me. When they see my face they will pity me. When they see my wrist, they will assume I am one of them. And those who oppose the new regime will never believe me at first glance when they see this." She slowly pulled her hood back up. "Bellatrix destroyed me."

Andromeda stared into the glowing flames. "Bellatrix destroyed everyone."

Ginny had reached the living room door and turned around only to see Andromeda standing by the fireplace, clutching a photo frame in her hand. The brunette witch looked dup when she felt Ginny's eyes on her and, whilst holding the picture, she crossed the room. "Where will you be going?"

"Straight to mum and dad, I think. I don't know what will happen tomorrow morning. Bellatrix expects to see them. I don't know what happens if they don't show."

Andromeda's eyes narrowed. "Expects to see them where?"

"I think she called it Black Manor," Ginny said and she opened the front door, therefore missing the sudden change in Andromeda's eyes. "She said that mum and dad would know where to go."

A cold chill invaded her chest and began to strangle her heart. Andromeda swallowed but she squared her jaw, hiding the sudden rush of emotions behind a stoic mask. Suddenly her features hardened and her eyes darkened. "Nobody is going anywhere tomorrow."

Ginny turned around in surprise. "What?"

"Go to your parents' house. Wake everyone and tell them that you have to leave," Andromeda urged. "You must be able to think of some place where the resistance felt safe? Something you didn't share with Bellatrix, maybe? An old house nobody knows exists?" She watched a memory dawn in Ginny's eyes and she nodded. "I thought as much. You must leave before sunrise."

"But why?" Ginny asked. "What are we going to do?"

Andromeda straightened her spine. "Leave that to me." She gently pushed the young redhead out into the rain. "Go home, Ginny. Don't ask questions but just do as I say. Get your parents and your brothers and get the hell out of that house."

"How will we know when to come back?" Ginny asked as she stepped into the darkness. She turned around and her eyes locked with Andromeda's. "Andy, what are you doing?"

"I don't know," Andromeda answered and it was the honest truth. "But I will be damned if I let you or your parents fall into the hands of Hermione and Bellatrix." She shook her head. "Go home, Ginny." She lump in the back of her throat didn't want to shift, no matter how hard she swallowed, and she fought against the sudden tears stinging behind her eyes. "I'll see you soon, I promise."

She watched Ginny disappear into the darkness and then softly closed the front door. She leant against it with her back and then slowly slumped down to the floor. The tears streamed down her face, lashing against her skin, and she covered her face in her hands. Somewhere deep inside her chest the shards of her already broken heart started bleeding all over again and the pain was worse than it had ever been before.

~()~

The wrath of Bellatrix was something every living soul feared but it was nothing compared to the sheer terror Hermione unleashed when the two guards returned empty handed and delivered the news they had lost their prisoner. She and Bellatrix were still in the living room where they had shared their passionate encounter earlier and her mind had already gone haywire after the glimpse of Andromeda so when the two men begged for their forgiveness, Hermione merely raised her wand and cursed the first guard. The second one scrambled to get away from her but landed face first on the floor when the Cruciatus Curse hit him in the back.

"CRUCIO!" she cried and the red jet of light crashed into the guard's body, causing his body to seize. The veins in his face pressed against his skin, giving him a somewhat blue appearance, and his eyes appeared to be bulging out of his head. "Crucio! CRUCIO!"

He rolled onto his side, bringing his knees up to his chest, and then his stomach emptied itself across the wooden floor. The foul smell of sick penetrated Hermione's nose and she slowly walked over to the convulsing man, disgust written across her face. Without warning she grabbed the collar of his jacket and slammed his face against the floorboards. The cracking sound of bones breaking lingered around the room for a few seconds and Hermione yanked his head back up, Blood poured from his broken nose.

"Idiot!" she scolded him. "You _lost_ the prisoner?" She slammed his head against the ground again. Blood splashed across her boots. When she pulled him back up, his left eye had started to swell and already changed to a deep shade of purple. "How dare you come back here, you useless piece of shit?" Her hands slipped from his jacket and his head landed back against the floor. He didn't move. She turned away from him and her eyes fixed on the second guard, who lay on his back with his eyes wide open. The first Cruciatus Curse had hit him in the back of the head. No one had ever been hit in the head with that spell before. Hermione bent down to look at him.

"I think he's dead," she said as she looked back up to find Bellatrix watching her from the sofa.

Bellatrix pointed at the guard Hermione had just assaulted. "I think they both are."

"We have plenty more where those came from," said a voice from the doorway and Narcissa strolled into the room. She was careful not to tread in the vomit or the sick splattered around the floor. "We just open another can of idiots."

"What are we going to do about the girl?" Hermione asked. "She will have the chance to tell her parents you were never going to stick to your end of the bargain." She stored her wand up her sleeve and slumped down on the sofa next to Bellatrix, seemingly frustrated. "Why did we hire these morons?"

"These morons, as you call them, used to be faithful to the Dark Lord," Narcissa pointed out and she smirked. "Needless to say, he wasn't a very good judge of character."

"We have to find her. If she raises the alarm…" Hermione began but was cut off when Bellatrix covered her hand with her own. It was an unexpected soft touch and Hermione's eyes met those of the dark haired woman.

"Things will work out," Bellatrix reassured her and a little smile played around her lips. "Maybe there is something positive about the Weasley brat escaping after all."

Hermione snorted. "We get to hire better guards?"

Bellatrix shook her head. The tips of her fingers drew small circles across the back of Hermione's hand. "The Order."

"The Order is dead, Bella. Or they might as well be." Hermione rolled her eyes. "Half a dozen Weasleys, your stupid niece and hopeless sister." The mention of Andromeda brought back the memory from earlier that night and she shook her head in an attempt to rid herself of it. "They are no threat."

"Most of the resistance members are currently locked up in Azkaban," Bellatrix said slowly. She eyed up Narcissa, who was twirling her wand around her fingers. "If I remember correctly, Cissy left the Weasley kid with a memory of her own." Narcissa smirked and Bellatrix chuckled softly. "Sooner or later she is going to try and bring back her friends."

Hermione openly laughed. "Only an idiot would try and win a battle they've already lost. Most of the Order is dead and soon the resistance will be too. They have nothing left to fight with or to fight for."

"Do not underestimate your enemy, my love," Bellatrix said softly but there was a warning to her words. "Because they do not underestimate you."

~()~

She waited till first light. Weak sunlight filtered through the dark clouds and erased darkness from the previous night. The shadows started to dissolve. She slowly opened the door to the room where her daughter slept and peered inside. Nymphadora slept on her stomach, with one hand tucked under her pillow and the other on top of it. Her hair was a soft shade of blonde and Andromeda was momentarily stung by the sudden resemblance to her sister. Never before had she seen Narcissa when she looked at her daughter but now it frightened her how much they looked alike. She suppressed a quiet sob and let her gaze linger on Nymphadora's sleeping form just a little longer before slowly closing the door again.

"Goodbye, my child."

The tears fell from her eyes as she went back downstairs and stepped out into the early morning light. She could still smell the rain in the air and walked down the path towards the white picket fence and gate and turned around one last time to look at the house that had been her home for so many years. She and Ted had moved in mere days after their marriage and they had never left. Not until this war came along and tore everything apart. The life she had once known had slipped through her fingers. It was gone.

With determination, Andromeda turned on the spot and the soft 'pop' had faded out before Nymphadora woke in her bedroom and found the house empty. Her mother had left.

When she reopened her eyes she found herself standing outside a tall, black iron gate. The walls that it was attached to had not changed throughout all these years and for a moment she allowed herself to be taken back to the first time she had seen these very gates. She had been no older than seven and clutched her father's hand. It had been one of the last times she had done just that. He had brought them here, to their new home. Since the night she had walked out all those years ago she had not been back.

Andromeda carefully raised her hand and placed it against the cold, black metal. She had seen her father do it when she had been a little girl and as she grew up, she had done it herself. The gates recognised the blood in her veins. Blood that tied her to this family like it tied Bellatrix and Narcissa. No magic could erase the bond that blood created. She took a step back as the gates slowly swung open, revealing the gravelled path that led across the surprisingly well kept green lawns towards the house.

It loomed up from behind the trees her mother had planted the week after they moved in. The branches were barren and reached up towards the sky like claws. Andromeda froze in her step and reached for the hood of her travelling cloak. Her heart hammered in her chest and she felt the fear grasp at her heart. She knew she could meet her death out here today. Until now she had never considered, or perhaps never dared to believe, that her sisters had moved back into their old family home. Nobody had ever been happy here. A sad smile fell across Andromeda's face. It was probably why they had come back; because it knew no happiness.

"You know you shouldn't be here."

The softness of the voice made her look up and Andromeda's eyes widened when she recognised Hermione standing on the stone steps leading up to the house. Dressed in elegant, form fitting black robes and with her hair tied up, the young brunette looked strangely angelic.

"I don't think either of us should be here," Andromeda answered. "But I think you know why I am here."

Hermione's eyes found Andromeda's. "You shouldn't have come."

"You really think that after what happened, I shouldn't have tried to see you?" Andromeda asked and she slowly walked towards the steps. Her eyes held Hermione's gaze. "That wasn't just something, was it?" When Hermione didn't answer she found the confirmation she had been looking for. "It happened to you too."

"You should leave." Hermione was about to turn around but Andromeda grabbed hold of her arm and forced her to spin back around.

"Why don't I mean anything to you anymore?"

Hermione took a deep breath. "You want an honest answer?" She stepped down, closing the distance between her and Andromeda. "You mean too much to me." She averted her eyes. "You know what I can give you, if you were only willing to accept my offer. I can give you the world, Andy. I can give you everything. I can give you my heart."

Andromeda shook her head. "You can't give me what you don't have."

"Then leave."

"This was never meant to happen, was it? You were never to lose yourself in all of this. You wanted to be at Bellatrix's side and forget about who you were, about where you had been. You wanted to erase the friendships you had formed and abandon those who cared for you. What Bellatrix gave you was supposed to take the pain away. You found something inside yourself that you believed could heal you," Andromeda said. "All of this…" She gestured around. "Everything you have done was so that you didn't have to feel pain anymore. You were the missing piece of their heart and you welcomed it into yours. But it didn't work, did it?"

"Andy…"

"You still feel, even if you don't want to. They tried to break you and you let yourself be destroyed but nothing you did could ever undo what had already been done." Andromeda's hand slipped from Hermione's arm. The touch was so soft, so familiar, and for a moment she remembered how she had sponged down Hermione's body after she had suffered at the hands of Bellatrix. She had been able to wash the blood away but not the pain.

"You know you could die out here," Hermione said. Unexpectedly soft eyes met Andromeda's. "Why did you come here looking for me if you knew it could be the death of you?"

"Because I had to see it for myself. I wasn't sure before but now I am." Andromeda shook her head. "This isn't over yet." She hesitated, as if to decide whether or not to try and kiss her but Hermione made the decision for her by stepping away from her.

"Go home, Andy. It ends here." She glanced over her shoulder. "You do not belong here and I… I am alone."

"As long as I still breathe, you are never alone."

Hermione slowly turned away from the older woman and began walking back to the house. "I shall see to it that none of the guards harm you on your way out, Andy." She didn't look to see if the other woman did indeed leave, not until she heard the soft sounds of footprints on the gravel. She turned slightly and watched Andromeda walk away.

"Andy?" she called her back. She turned. "You have to let me go."

Andromeda sadly smiled. "I can't."

* * *

**Hands up if you thought that the cloaked figure in the opening scene was Hermione!**


	38. United We Stand, Divided We Fall

**A/N:** I am not sure what I did in this chapter. I think I set up for a possible ending, with different scenarios that can spring from it. I have been wanting another confrontation for a while but it wasn't until I started writing this that I realised what it was I actually wanted between them exactly. I am hoping to differentiate between Hermione's bond to Andromeda and the bond she has with Bellatrix and Narcissa. The underlying message really is "you can only have the one if you lose the other." I can't make my mind up about what happens in the end, which we are now approaching, I think, and I feel like I am going to disappoint some of you, regardless of the choice I make. I can't even make the choice myself because I can't seem to decide what I want it to be.  
Do I want Andromeda to join them, as a sacrifice, or do I want Hermione to break away at the last moment? Do I want neither of those or both of those, or do I want something that comes from Bellatrix and Narcissa in some way or another? Do I want something totally different?  
I think everything is out in the open after this chapter, for everyone. There needed to be a moment where people listened, and almost truly saw each other for what they are. But now I am stuck in the middle of this crossroad and I don't know where to go. Thoughts and ideas are welcome. I'm not saying they can persuade me to do one thing or another, but maybe it can help me see things I haven't yet seen.  
The title of the chapter is both a reflection on the actual events taking place but also on my personal feelings about this chapter. I really did feel like it even divided me, as a writer.  
Anyway, for those of you interested, there was another instrumental piece involved in writing this and it is called "Remember Me" by Thomas Bergersen.

* * *

**Chapter 38**

"**United We Stand, Divided We Fall"**

Hermione had stood on the bottom step long after Andromeda had gone. For a while she studied the raindrops glistening on the grass but eventually she turned away and went back inside. The door closed softly behind her and the sound of her footsteps echoed off the wooden floor as she walked. She found Bellatrix and Narcissa in the large dining room. The raven haired woman leant against the table, clutching a crystal goblet in her hand. Narcissa was sitting down and had finished what looked like her breakfast. Both sisters looked up when Hermione appeared.

"We have to find the Weasleys."

Bellatrix arched an eyebrow. "I was under the impression that we had agreed we'd wait for them to come to us. They will, eventually."

Hermione resolutely shook her head. "I won't wait."

Narcissa pushed her chair away from the table and stood up. There was a hint of curiosity in her eyes. "What happened?"

"I am not one for leaving lose ends." Hermione willed her mind to be empty when she felt Narcissa attempt to invade her thoughts. All that awaited the blonde witch was a pool of emptiness and Hermione could see the suspicion across her face. "We find them today. You can come with me and if you don't want to, I'll go alone." She turned on her heel and was halfway out of the dining room when someone grabbed hold of her. Her head snapped back around and her eyes pierced into Bellatrix's.

"What got into you?" she demanded.

Hermione felt the internal battle start inside of her. The anger and the hatred mixed with the pain and the revulsion. Her hazel eyes darkened as she looked at Bellatrix. "I want it finished. I do not owe you an explanation." She arched an eyebrow. "I have done what you asked of me, Bella. It is time you do what I ask of you. Either you come with me or you stay here. The choice is yours."

She turned on her heel and left the dining room. The impact of her words echoed around the room for a few moments until the sound of boots against the hard wooden floor destroyed it. A strong hand closed around her upper arm and Hermione was forced to turn around. Her gaze locked with Bellatrix's and blazing hazel eyes met intense charcoal ones.

"What?" she snapped.

Bellatrix frowned but didn't speak. She merely let go of Hermione's arm and continued to study the younger witch as if she saw something she had never seen before. After a few minutes she stepped away from her, still without speaking, and Hermione watched how the raven haired witch climbed the stairs to the second floor. Her heart beat slowly in her chest and she released the breath she didn't realise she'd been holding. Heaving a sigh, she crossed the corridor towards the library and locked the door behind her.

~()~

The sound of glass breaking roused her from a dark slumber and her eyes snapped open, adapting immediately to her surroundings. She was in the library, curled up in one of the arm chairs standing by the fireplace. A book lay in her lap. She sat up with a jolt and looked around. The three large floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the gardens were all intact. Hermione slipped out of the chair, drew her wand and strained her hearing to pick up another sound. In the distance she could hear a muffled scream.

It wasn't panic that seeped into her blood. It was adrenaline. By the time she had reached the library door her heart was hammering against her ribcage in such ferocity she believed it would out of her chest. She stood in the corridor for a few moments as she listened for another sound. She could hear it better now. The distinct sound of raised voices. The house seemed to be alive all of a sudden, as if it was filled by something unexplainable that could not be see, only felt_. Magic._

She let her instincts guide her and she ran across the corridor, past the dining room and eventually reached the large double doors that provided entrance to the living room. They were half open and she hesitated, perhaps for a moment too long, before entering. She felt the cold wind rush across her skin and one look at the broken window told her this was where the sound of breaking glass had originated from. Her eyes snapped to the other side of the room and her breath died in the back of her throat.

Narcissa lay on the ground, on her back, with her eyes closed. Golden ropes had wrapped themselves around her body, pinning her down. Strands of blond hair had fallen across her face. Her eyes were then drawn to Bellatrix, who had her back turned towards her and yielded her wand. Her dark curls danced around her head as she dodged a spell that was aimed at her. The bright blue jet shot past her and it flew straight towards Hermione, who raised her own wand and deflected it with ease. It crashed into the wall, leaving it shaking. A cloud of dust filled the room.

"You are a fool for coming here," Bellatrix cackled. "You will never leave here alive."

"Who said I intended to leave alive?"

_Andromeda. _

Hermione looked up at the sound of the other woman's voice and her eyes darted around the room. As the dust began to settle she recognised the second figure, standing close to the shattered window. Her brown curls fell freely down her shoulders and her back and she brandished her wand in the way a warrior would handle a sword. The weak morning sunlight filtering into the room gave a strange, soft gloom to her appearance. She looked past her sister to find Hermione standing in the open door and her eyes lit up.

"You shouldn't have done this," Hermione said softly as she crossed the length of the room until she reached Bellatrix. Her eyes lingered on Narcissa for a moment and she noticed that she wasn't gravely injured but then she looked back at Andromeda. To see her here, in this room, brought a sense of anger to her heart. "I told you to leave. To let me go."

"And I told you that I can't," Andromeda said, a little smile playing around her lips. Her eyes fixed on Bellatrix and she studied her older sister's face. "She doesn't know, does she?" The observed the hatred igniting in Bellatrix's dark eyes and she gasped softly. "Or does she?" Her smile spread as she watched the anger flicker in her sister's eyes. "She knows."

"Of course I know!" Bellatrix snapped and she glanced at Hermione. The realisation that Bellatrix had known all along that her longing still led her to Andromeda like it led her back to her brought fear to Hermione's heart. For the first time since coming together she could see the true hurt in Bellatrix's eyes. "What do you think I am, an idiot?" The high pitched shriek bounced off the living room walls. "But she _chose_ me, Andromeda. She chose to be here, at my side, instead of yours."

"And all those times that she abandoned you?" Andromeda said softly. "The times when you believed that in her heart she longed for you and didn't?" She cocked her head. "I am not here to kill you, Bellatrix. I am here to force a choice, once and for all. But I want an honest one. With all the cards out on the table." She paused. "You no longer hate me for abandoning you when we were young, Bella. You no longer despise the mention of my name because of what I did. You loathe me for what I am, for what I became." She briefly glanced at Hermione before looking back at her sister. "Or for what I never was."

"You abandoned us!" Bellatrix exclaimed. "You turned your back on us. You walked away from our blood!"

Andromeda weakly smiled. Bellatrix had changed very little since the time they were children. Even now she could still see it, somewhere deep beyond her eyes. "You knew all along there was something between you and Narcissa that was different, didn't you?" Bellatrix's eyes widened at the mention of their childhood. "All those nights you two spend in the same bed." She shook her head. "Didn't you ever wonder why Mother never found you? What she would have said if she had known what was happening?"

"Andy…" Hermione began but Andromeda silenced her just by raising her hand.

"I knew, Bella. I knew there was something and I chose to protect you. Not because I was jealous but because I loved you. You were my sister. You _are_ my sister. " The words, even now, reflected an element of truth. "But you never loved me the way you loved Narcissa. And why? Because you knew that whatever brought you two together didn't bring me to you as well. When was it you knew there was another fragment of the heart, Bellatrix? When was it you realised that what you and Narcissa had went well beyond the love of normal sisters but yet it was incomplete?"

"I wanted it to be you!" Bellatrix cried and the anger and hatred echoed through every word. The words cut through the tension in the room and shattered everything that still lingered between them, unsaid. "I wanted the missing part of me, of us, to be you! When Cissy's wand connected with mine, I prayed that yours had just yet to finds its way."

"It never did because it wasn't part of the same heart," Andromeda answered sadly. "I was never a part of you."

"Stop!" Hermione said and stepped forward with her wand drawn. Bellatrix's head snapped around and she stared at the brunette in bewilderment. Andromeda had lowered her own wand, aware that her sister wasn't going to hex her right at this moment but her arm shot back up when Hermione approached, unsure about what the younger witch was going to do. Tears glistened in Hermione's eyes and she looked from Andromeda to Bellatrix. "This ends here."

"It ended a long time ago, Hermione," Andromeda answered. "Bellatrix hates me not because I left her. She hates me because I was never a part of her like Narcissa was. Our hearts were never one." A lonely tear appeared in the corner of her eye. "Never a soul mate, never a part of her heart. That's what she can't forgive me for. That her own sister couldn't love her. That we couldn't be as one." She made a hand gesture. "All of this, all of what we are today, comes back to that, doesn't it, Bella?"

Hermione recognised Bellatrix's anger before Andromeda did and her wand shot up at the same time as the spell fell from the raven haired witch's lips.

"CRUCIO!"

"PROTEGO!"

The bright red flash of light bounced off the silver Shield Charm and crashed into the wooden floorboards, causing them to splinter. For a few moments, the whole mansion shook. Outside the wind picked up and whatever little bit of sunlight had fallen into the room was quickly swallowed up by the black clouds gathering in the sky.

Bellatrix turned around to look at Hermione, eyes blazing with anger. "What the hell…"

"I can't let you hurt her, Bella," Hermione said firmly. "You asked for me to make her love me. She did. She loves me like you love me." She swallowed hard. "And I love her like I love you. You know this. You have always known." Bellatrix's hand trembled and Hermione's eyes fixed on the wand in her hand. "You know you can only hurt me, Bella. The heart we share will never be able to kill me." She looked up and away from the dark haired witch and her eyes found Andromeda. "You should leave, Andy. You know that I will never leave here with you. The only reason you yet live is because my love for you mirrors Bellatrix's love for me. For all the hatred in her eyes, she cannot bring herself to cause me hurt." She walked past Bellatrix and reached Andromeda. "Leave and never come back."

Andromeda let her fingers dance across Hermione's cheek. "Sometimes you can't let go, no matter how hopeless."

"Then we are forever doomed." Hermione turned herself away. "My heart belongs here. It guides me home. This is a part of me."

"Someone told me a story once, when I was a little girl," Andromeda said and there was a hint of hope in her voice. "They said that the ancient Greeks believed that all humans originally had four legs, four arms and one head with two faces. Zeus, the King of the Gods, feared their power and cut them into two by throwing a lightning bolt. They were condemned to spend the rest of their lives looking for the other half of their soul to complete them."

"CRUCIO!"

They had been distracted for just a moment too long and Bellatrix's spell hit Andromeda in the chest. With an outcry of pain the brunette fell down to her knees and clutched her stomach before collapsing. Her body began seizing and jerked involuntarily. Her mouth opened but no more sounds came out. Sheer terror reflected in her eyes. It was as if someone had poured acid into her veins and from the back of her mind the most painful memories began to well up. They flooded her, overwhelmed her like the waves crashing onto an unsuspecting beach.

"_I _told you that story," Bellatrix whispered as she hovered over her sister's shaking form. The sadness that had lingered in her eyes was long gone and had been replaced with that haunting emptiness. "I told you that story the night I learnt of Narcissa's wand. It was the night I learnt that you were not a part of me, of us." She flicked her wand again, inflicting yet more pain on her sister. "You were nothing."

"Bella, NO!" Hermione shouted and without thinking she took aim. "Impedimenta!"

The spell hit Bellatrix in her lower back and knocked her away from her sister's convulsing body. It wasn't as powerful as any other spell Hermione had used in the past and she staggered back to her feet without a scratch. Raven curls danced around her head as she spun around on the tip of her toes, like a crazed ballerina, and aimed her own wand.

"CRUCIO!"

"PROTEGO!"

The Shield Charm didn't form. It didn't create the silver ball it always created. Instead the jet shot straight across the room where it met Bellatrix's Cruciatus Curse and the two spells collided. It felt like the apocalypse was upon them. The remainder of the windows shattered and shards of glass rained down upon their heads. Walls began to crumble and thick clouds of dust filled the air. The wands had recognised their twin, had sensed the same heart, and reacted against the magic used. They could not fatally wound or harm each other. They could not kill or even badly hurt one another. All they could do was come together in the only way they knew how; by becoming one.

She couldn't do it. Not again. She couldn't raise her arm and cast another spell. In her chest her heart ached, like someone had stabbed a knife into it and twisted it slowly. It bled, invisibly, and she felt it in every cell of her body.

The golden ropes that had bound Narcissa to the floor dissolved and the blonde witch sat up. When she saw Hermione kneeling down to the ground, covered in dust and with blood seeping from her nose, she crawled towards her. But just as she reached her she noticed Bellatrix in a similar position, wiping the blood that gushed from the cut on her lip. Her eye then fell on the unconscious Andromeda lying a few feet away from her.

"I would die for you," Hermione whispered as she looked up to meet Bellatrix's eyes. "My heart only beats for you. My heart is you." She looked at Narcissa. "My heart belongs to both of you. It cannot be any other way. The part of me that was missing I found in you." Her voice was weak and it hurt to breathe as more dust found its way into her lungs. "I will always be you."

"Her life matters more to you than your own?" Bellatrix whispered as she staggered to her feet. She closed the distance between herself and Hermione and grabbed a fistful of the brown hair before yanking the younger witch to her feet.

Hermione's eyes pierced into Bellatrix's. "My life is you."

Bellatrix searched Hermione's face and let her hand slip out of her hair and down to her chin. She leant in and Hermione felt the warm breath against her skin. A shiver crept down her spine as Narcissa moved towards them and wrapped her arms protectively around Hermione's waist. Bellatrix rested her head against Hermione's shoulder.

"Your heart belongs to her," Andromeda whispered softly and Hermione looked up from the embrace she shared with Narcissa and Bellatrix. "Your soul does not."

"The wand connects to a soul, Andy," she said softly. "Therefore my soul belongs to them too. I can never love you like I love them." She looked at Narcissa when she felt the blonde's fingers in the back of her neck. "The heart is complete."

"They share a fragment of your heart, Hermione. Like you share a fragment of theirs." Andromeda managed to get back to her feet and wiped some of the blood from her face. "It is not the same as sharing a soul." She sighed and the hope that she had harboured in her heart when she came here slowly began to slip away from her. "The core of the wand recognised a part of you. That same part brought you to them. The wands are the missing shards of the heart, Hermione. They were once taken away from each other only to be re-joined much later, after many years had passed. But those who owned the separate shards of the heart held a darkness inside themselves the hearts needed to survive. Your heart may belong to them, but your soul does not."

"It does," Hermione countered. "Because I cannot let it belong to anyone else."

Andromeda swallowed as the true meaning of those words sank in. "You cannot let it belong to me."

Hermione shook her head. "No."

"It ends here," Andromeda said softly. "We stand surrounded by dust and shards of broken glass, whatever is left of the lives we once had, and we say our goodbyes." She brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. "You look at me one last time and tell me you do not love me."

"I will always love you," Hermione whispered and reached down to link Bellatrix's hand with own before taking Narcissa's too. "But love is never enough. I do not belong with you."

Andromeda slowly walked across the room until she reached Hermione and her two sisters. The room around them lay in ruins. The explosive magic had torn the pictures off the walls. It had started to rain outside and it poured in through the broken windows. She leant in far enough for her lips to brush against Hermione's but just as the brunette was about to respond, she moved away and sank down to her knees.

"You know it will never end this way," she said as she looked back up to meet Hermione's gaze. "I would rather die myself than knowing one day you have to die at my hands."

It had come to this. This final, everlasting moment, where everything they had ever been and everything they would ever become lay before them. The world outside had changed so much because they had listened to the desires of their heart. Failures and victories lived right alongside each other and grief would be forever engraved into the broken pieces. There was a whisper in their souls, almost like a simmering flame, that kept alive the hope. How could a person be destined to be not one but two things at once? How could the heart and soul be so divided, to feel so alike and yet be so far apart? How was it possible to hate and yet to love, to suffer and yet to heal, to grace and yet to destroy? How could one feel a heart united, stronger than anything else felt before, and yet a soul torn apart because a piece of it was still missing? How could a heart and a soul not belong to the same person? How could you love one and still see the other in their eyes? To have one was to lose the other. Forever.

"Leave," Hermione whispered softly and her arms snaked around Bellatrix's neck. "Never come back."

"You know that we can never be parted," Andromeda said as she slowly stood up. "When your eyes close, your soul still searches for mine. It wasn't meant to happen but it did. When your heart searched for its companion, your soul did too. They found them in different people. Now the conflict will be yours to solve for to have one is not to have the other." She smiled weakly. "I understand more than you know, Hermione."

She turned her head away. "Go!" It sounded muffled, constricted with tears. "Don't make me hurt you."

Bellatrix and Narcissa looked at Andromeda and three sisters became aware, in that very moment that now they were joined together in a way they had never dared to imagine. Bellatrix had longed for their souls to be one, but they were not destined to be. But here they stood, their hearts beating in a similar rhythm, on opposite sides of light and dark, with the one thing that tied them together between them. They had become one and only one thing, on person, could break them apart.

The world grew darker still as the minutes began to pass. It was as if it sensed the change that was upon them. Andromeda could feel the wind pull at her hair and she turned away from Hermione wrapped up in Narcissa and Bellatrix's arms. She turned away from the tears she had seen glistening in her hazel eyes. Around her lay the shards of broken glass, the remnants of a broken heart, and she walked away without speaking, feeling those teary eyes burning into her back. As she walked she left footprints on the dust covered floor, a silent reminder of her presence here. When she stepped outside into the rain she could not bear the thought of looking back and kept on walking and therefore did not see how one figure tore herself away from the embrace and rushed to the broken window to watch a part of her soul disappear in the rain.

It wasn't over. It would never be over.


	39. Sacramentum

**A/N: **It took me a while to get going again. I have done a lot of thinking over the last few days about this story and I have decided that I am going to finish this story at chapter 40, only to begin a second story (a follow up). I do not want this story to become a hundred chapters long and I think that, given the way I want to take the next twist, the story would do better as a part two. Who knows, it might end up turning into a trilogy.

I owe you all a lot for all your input over the past few days. It has helped me a great deal and although I am crazy busy and I wrote this chapter instead of sleeping, I feel totally committed to writing a second part to this. I don't know what I am going to call it yet but I am sure I'll come up with something.

This is chapter 39. I am going to write and add chapter 40 before starting the second part of this epic tale. It is not something I have ever done before, nor did I expect it to happen. This story has just too much potential, as well as too many unanswered questions, to be left unfinished or rushed. You guys have made this story what it became and, to make it even better, I am currently in the process of rewriting it as an independent novel, with my own characters and without magic but with vampires and other crazy stuff. It is called "Ascension" (at least, part 1 is). Who knows, you might just see it on a shelf somewhere someday.

Thanks again for all your wonderful comments and reviews over the past few months and I hope that you will all be around for part 2, as part 1 will have no definitive end.

~Cissy

**Note:** Wikipedia holds two very interesting stories about soulmates. One is based upon the Symposium by Plato where Aristophanes makes the by now famous statement about the four legs, four arms, two heads. The other is based upon Theosophy, where it is states that God created androgynous souls (neither male or female) who developed into either gender over time and were left to look for their soulmate for the remainder of their lifetime. If you take it another step further, in Jewish religion there is something called a "bashert," something that can be called a soul mate. The explanation behind this is as follows: _Bashert_ is a Yiddish word that means "destiny". It is often used in the context of one's divinely foreordained spouse or soulmate, who is called "basherte" (female) or "basherter" (male). It can also be used to express the seeming fate or destiny of an auspicious or important event, friendship, or happening. A combination of these three is what led me to the soulmate plot line between Andromeda and Hermione because it all seems to come back one thing. Destiny.

* * *

**Chapter 39**

**"Sacramentum"  
**

The cottage had been her home for over twenty five years. She had moved in here with Ted not long after she found out she was pregnant with Nymphadora. She had delivered her in the bedroom she still slept in on a late summer's night in June. It was here where her daughter had taken her first step and spoke her first word. It had become a home as the years began to pass and she and Ted learnt to love each other as a husband and a wife, even though they both knew the fire in their hearts was absent whenever they laid eyes on each other. They had always known true love had not brought them together and it was an unspoken understanding that one day that would break them apart.

Andromeda stood in the living room where she had played with her daughter and had hugged her husband the night the first war started as well as when it ended. She had watched the skies darken and brighten throughout the years, knowing that out there somewhere her sisters fought on the opposite side, determined on destroying her and everything she held most dear. As she looked down at the photo in her hand, she realised that they had finally succeeded. She had lost everything.

She looked up when the door to the living room opened and she found her daughter in the open doorway. When she saw the dried blood on her mother's face, Tonks rushed into the living room and placed both her hands on Andromeda's shoulders.

"What happened?" she said as she searched her mother's eyes for answers. "Mum, where have you been? You were gone when I woke up and…"

"I went to see Hermione," Andromeda answered softly, cutting her daughter off. She freed herself from her daughter's grip. "She wasn't alone."

Tonks stared at her mother. "You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"I know." Andromeda turned back to the window and her fingers slid along the shape of the photo frame in her hand. Outside the skies were grey and raindrops slid down the darkened glass. "I had to do it. There was no other way."

"No other way?" Tonks questioned. "What do you mean?"

"It is far more complicated than you think, Nymphadora!" Andromeda suddenly said loudly and turned away from her daughter. Slowly she walked across the living room and placed the photo back on the fireplace. She heaved a sigh as she looked at her sister's faces. They had changed so little and yet so much. "You don't understand."

"Then help me to!" Tonks said sharply and reached her mother. She put a hand on her shoulder and forced her to turn around. Their gazes locked and she could see the hurt and the pain she had been hiding. In her chest her heart swelled up with both love and anguish. "Tell me what's going on."

"It goes well beyond anything I have ever seen before. I am not even sure I fully understand it myself but this goes further than magic, further than love," Andromeda said and gestured at the picture. Tonks looked at it too. She had seen it throughout her childhood years and as she had grown older she had started asking questions about the two women in the picture with her mother. Andromeda had been reluctant to answer but as Nymphadora grew older she couldn't deny the truth any longer. Tonks looked back at her mother and swallowed as she saw the tears glisten in her eyes. "It is about destiny."

"Destiny?" Tonks asked.

"The Three Cores are brought together as one heart because they heartstrings were taken from the same dragon. They function as one but a part of them has latched itself to its owner's heart. It had to recognise something inside of them to feel strong enough. It was the darkness it craved to grow. Bellatrix, Narcissa and Hermione all possess that darkness. It was something they were born with, something fate decided," Andromeda said. "They were born to be the Chosen Ones for the Cores. Their souls matched the heartstrings taken from the dragon, even if they didn't know it. Their own hearts were incomplete and would always remain so unless their paths crossed."

"So you are saying that the three of them are destined to be together?" Tonks asked. "No one else could ever complete them like they complete each other?"

"The wand chooses the witch or wizard," Andromeda reminded her. "It only chooses once. The allegiance of a wand can only be changed if it is own in battle." She chewed her lips. "The wands are too strong to be conquered, even on their own. No one can ever own it like they own it but if it were to be taken it would most likely change the new owner's soul instead of the new owner changing the course of the wand. Its core is pure darkness. No new soul can ever change it back towards the light."

"I thought there was no such thing as a dark wand?" Tonks asked. "The way I understood wand lore was that a wand was made dark by its owner, not the other way around."

"The wand lore is wrong. These wands are dark by nature." Andromeda sighed. "The only reason that Hermione's wand reacted a lot later was that the source of her darkness and anger had yet to be found but once the darkness had been unleashed, there was no stopping it. The night Ron attacked Hermione, it let out what lived inside of her. The wand knew the darkness was there, it sensed it when she first walked into the shop. It just waited for it to wake up from its slumber."

"So their hearts are forever joined?" Tonks asked softly, suddenly realising that this meant that Bellatrix, Narcissa and Hermione could never be separated. "Until one of them dies?"

Andromeda nodded. "Yes. Only death can tear them apart." She glanced back at the window. "But the heart is not the only thing that controls a person, Nymphadora. There is also the soul." Her eyes briefly closed. "Old myths tell stories of separation, of people condemned to look for their long lost soul mates for the rest of their lives." Her eyes opened them and her gaze locked with her daughters. "Would you say that Remus was your soul mate, Nymphadora?"

"Yes," Tonks breathed and she wiped her eyes as the tears came unexpectedly. "If there is such a thing as a soul mate, then Remus was the one."

"The myths are true in the way that for every person alive, a soul mate is created that will complete them. A soul mate is destined to be with you not only in this life, but the next as well. Call it reincarnartion or karma if you like. The stories say that soul mates will recognise each other, even if they have lived different lives before. They can see it, in their eyes and feel it in their hearts. The eyes truly are the mirror to the soul." Andromeda brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. "Your father never was my soul mate, darling. We always knew that. We lived knowing that there was a chance that one day one of us could find the one thing we had been looking for our entire life. The missing part of ourselves."

"Hermione is your soul mate?" Tonks whispered and stared at her mother. Andromeda nodded and Tonks covered her mouth with her hand, aghast. "Oh my God." Outside the thunder unexpectedly roared. "How do you know?"

"I feel it," Andromeda answered. There were no words to describe how she knew. All that remained was the question why she had not realised it sooner. There was a part of her that had been missing throughout her entire life; a gaping hole she didn't even know existed, until Hermione had appeared, only to be taken away from her at the very same time. Destiny separated them the same way it had brought them together. "There is no question."

"How can her heart be part of them and her soul be part of you?" Tonks whispered. "Doesn't that mean that she can never be with either one of you unless…" She swallowed. "Unless the other half of her is destroyed?"

Andromeda stared out of the window as the rain lashed against the glass and swallowed. "It means that she can never be on either side because her heart belongs to them yet her soul will long for me. For it to end, one will have to die. She can never truly be a part of them when her soul whispers my name but at the same time she can never allow herself to kill me because it will destroy a part of her."

"She is going to have to choose eventually," Tonks said with a hint of fear in her voice and she cast her mother a sideways glance. "One day she is going to have to make that choice."

Andromeda nodded slowly. "If she wants to be at peace, wherever she chooses to be, she will have to kill Bellatrix and Narcissa." Her voice trailed off and a lonely tear found its way down her cheek before dripping down into the open palm of her hand. "Or me."

~()~

The reflection in the mirror wasn't the girl she had once been. Thick, brown curls framed her face and fell down her shoulders before cascading down her back. She was naked apart from the white sheet wrapped around her body and she studied her reflection with great interest. The battle raged inside of her but it was something she had gotten used to over time. It was the endless whisper of one against the crying of another. She had been torn apart, ripped to shreds, inside and all that remained now was the outside shell. She felt nothing, she was empty. This was what she had become. She looked over her shoulder back at the bed where her lovers lay asleep. They had gone to bed tonight merely wrapped up in each other's arms. There had been a comfort there, a desperate longing to be as close as they could be.

Her eyes lingered on Bellatrix's sleeping form. The raven haired woman lay on her stomach and the coarse curls had fallen into her eyes. The candle on the bedside table illuminated her features. They were so much softer when she slept. Gone were the demons behind her eyes. Somehow the sheets had wrapped themselves around her legs, exposing the porcelain toned skin of her back. Its light colour was a sharp contrast against the darkness of her hair.

Narcissa lay on her side, facing her sister, with barely any distance between them. She had fallen asleep in Bellatrix's arms, with her head on her chest, and since then she had barely moved. The sheets covered her body from her shoulders down to her knees and her blonde locks framed her face. Her right hand lay stretched out, almost touching Bellatrix's. The rapid movements behind her eyelids betrayed the presence of a dream.

The meaning of love had been unknown until she had found herself here. The night she had grasped Bellatrix hand at the wedding, following her into the darkness, was what had changed everything. For the first time had she seen what she could become. She had felt it before, the night in Diagon Alley, when she felt the poison spread through her blood after hexing Bellatrix. It was when the darkness inside of her had come to life and she had changed. Laying eyes upon Bellatrix changed everything and with that she had come to understand what it meant to love.

Love was twisted. Not that sickening pink, fluffy fairy tale kind of shit. Love hurt like hell and it was supposed to because it was the only way you would ever know it was real. She loved Bellatrix. She had never known this insatiable kind of feeling that roared inside of her, overwhelmed her at most moment, and brought her back here every single time. The desire, the danger and the passion where all part of it. Not the sad little butterflies in her stomach. Only those foolish enough to believe romance novels believed that. No, this was the kind of earth shattering, all consuming, soul destroying love.

Hermione's gaze fixed on Narcissa. The blonde woman brought a different kind of feeling to her chest. She loved her too, but not like her heart cried for Bellatrix whenever they were forced apart. She loved her like the missing piece, the quiet whisper in the back of her mind. She loved her like a lover but she did not feel the same earth shattering desire to be with her. The blonde had captured her in a way she had not dared to think another person other than Bellatrix could but yet, whenever she watched her hand slide over Bellatrix's, she felt the sharp sting of jealousy.

She looked back at her reflection in the mirror and thought of the only other person who owned a part of her. Andromeda was never out of her mind. The way her heart cried when she was torn from Bellatrix's side, so her soul cried whenever she was ripped away from Andromeda. Whenever their paths parted, another piece of her was torn to shreds. She longed for her like she longed for Bellatrix, and even how she longed for Narcissa, but she could not be with one and have the other. She slowly stood up and walked away from the mirror. She climbed back onto the bed and lay herself down beside Narcissa. The blonde's arm instinctively wrapped itself around her waist and pulled her nearer and Hermione rested her head against Narcissa's body. Her eyes never closed. She didn't sleep.

~()~

Hours changed into days. It was on the dawn of the fourth day after Andromeda had gone to see Hermione that she abandoned the cottage for the last time. Tonks waited for her by the gate and watched with tears in her eyes as her mother set fire to the house where she had grown up. Thick black smoke billowed up into the air as the windows shattered and the white bricks began to crumble. Soon it would be gone. This was nobody's home anymore. It would just become a memory. All that she took with her was the photo she kept on top of the fireplace. She would never be able to let it go.

They Apparated into Diagon Alley and Andromeda followed her daughter down a narrow alleyway between Flourish and Blotts and another boarded up shop. The cobbled alleyway was abandoned, apart from two or three cloaked figures about a hundred metres away from them. The shadows of the narrow alley swallowed them up and the sound of their footsteps was muffled by the strong wind. Suddenly Tonks stopped walking and Andromeda almost bumped into her back. Her daughter had lowered her hood, revealing her bright pink hair.

They had arrived at a small, old looking building at the back of Flourish and Blotts. Andromeda had never even known there was another building here. It only had a door and no windows and the door looked like it was about to fall down. The wood was rotten and reeked. Tonks knocked once, then again and then waited. A faint shuffling noise came from inside the building followed by what sounded like a bolt being moved. The door opened about an inch and the tip of a wand appeared. It followed Tonks' body shape as the tip started glowing a light shade of green. After a few seconds the door opened further and revealed a young wizard Andromeda had never met before.

Tonks smiled. "Hey, Seamus."

"Hi Tonks," the young man answered with a strong Irish accent. His eyes nervously darted towards Andromeda. "Did you tell her?"

"I thought I'd leave that for you," Tonks smiled as she filed past Seamus into the dark room. Andromeda followed her daughter inside and instinctively reached for her wand. The room was almost pitch black but a few candles had been strategically been put on a couple of tables, casting a weak gloom across the room. Andromeda's eyes quickly adapted to their new surroundings and she could feel several sets of eyes resting on her. Somewhere to her right someone moved and they stepped into the light of the flames.

"Ginny!" Andromeda whispered when she recognised the redhead. "I thought you were with your parents!"

"I am," Ginny said and smiled. "Or, should I say, they are with me."

Andromeda looked at the corner of the room Ginny was pointing at and her eyes widened as she recognised Arthur and Molly sitting on two old chairs. Fred and George sat on the cold concrete floor in front of them and Percy and Bill stood behind them. Their faces were solemn and gaunt and Andromeda wondered for a moment how long they had been in this room before realising that this was what war did to people. It erased them.

"Where are we?" she asked as she looked at her daughter.

"Seamus?" Tonks invited the Irishman. "You want to do the honours?"

"As you know, Ginny formed a resistance against the Three Cores not long after they began their ruling. Most of them, including Ginny, were then arrested and thrown into Azkaban," Seamus said. Andromeda didn't know if it was his accent or just the slow way in which he told the story but there was something haunting about what he said. "Most of them have not been seen since but Ginny managed to get out. She went into hiding for a little while before going back to what she originally started. Leading a resistance."

"Your reformed the resistance?" Andromeda asked as she looked at Ginny. "How? Most of them are still locked up! Hell, they are probably dead!" She looked back at Seamus. "You were friends with Ron and Harry, weren't you?"

"We both were," said another young wizard and he stepped forward to flank Ginny. "I'm Dean Thomas."

Andromeda's eyes snapped back at Ginny. "How many of you are there?"

"No more than twenty," Ginny said softly. "Most people have accepted the world as it is now. I can't say I blame them. Everyone speaking out against Bellatrix, Narcissa and Hermione gets a one way ticket to Azkaban. Most of them die within the first week. People are disappearing left, right and centre but no one is doing anything to stop them." There was a hint of anger in her voice. "It has to end." She straightened her spine. "We plan on taking back what is rightfully ours."

"How?" Andromeda whispered. "We have barely got enough people!"

"But what we do have is pretty damn good," Ginny smiled and picked one of the candles up from the table before slowly making her way around the room illuminating the resistance member's faces. Apart from the Weasleys, Dean and Seamus there were Poppy Pomfrey, the medi witch from Hogwarts and old friend of Minerva McGonagall, as well as Rolanda Hooch. Andromeda smiled when she recognised the two witches. They shared a lot of history between them.

There were a few younger witches and wizards Andromeda didn't know, although their names sounded familiar. One of them was Lavender Brown and she remembered how she had shared a dormitory with Hermione. Part of her face went hidden behind a scarf and Andromeda vaguely remembered her getting hurt in the last Battle of Hogwarts. Some of the other members introduced themselves as Hannah Abbott, Marcus Belby, Susan Bones and Angelina Johnson. They were all former Hogwarts students and they all had known Harry, Ron and Hermione in some way.

"What is your plan?" Andromeda asked after she and Tonks had sat down in two of the somewhat unsteady wooden chairs. She placed her feet firmly on the ground to support herself.

Ginny's eyes darkened. "Destroy them."

Andromeda swallowed. "You want to destroy the Cores?"

"For starters," Ginny answered and squared her jaw. "The resistance is back and we are not going to give up. They have changed our world into a nightmare. Students at Hogwarts are beaten and tortured. People vanish right before our eyes. They are worse than Voldemort and we made a mistake by believing they would be the lesser out of the two evils."

Andromeda took a deep breath and folded her hands in her lap. "Very well," she said slowly and looked up to meet Ginny's eyes. "If you want to destroy Hermione, there is something you need to know."

~()~

Morning broke with unexpected golden rays of sunshine. As the world slowly woke to yet another day, the sun only accented the devastation that had been caused. Up and down the country buildings had been destroyed. Some still smouldered in the soft morning sunlight, with plumes of smoke still circling up into the skies. Others had been destroyed days earlier and all that remained were the foundations and the piles of rubble. Houses were empty and abandoned. Large fields and acres of land had been destroyed and only lonely, barren trees remained across the land. Green grass had been burnt to the ground and only ashes had been left in the wake of the flames. The smell of fire and smoke constantly filled the air and the country had begun to change from beautiful to dark and broken. Soon all that would remain of England as it had once been was its memory.

Even Muggles had become aware of the changes and the newspapers and news channels reported all the strange wildfires and unexplained gas explosions that kept killing people. Often they would look up at the sky, amazed by the rapid changed in the weather for which no one had an explanation. They would nervously observe the cloaked figures walking amongst them, their faces pale and their eyes empty. The city of London was covered in permanent strings of grey mist but this morning the sun rose up high into the blue sky only to point out the crumbling remains of Big Ben. Where the tower and the clock had once stood debris now scattered the surrounding roads. Fire services, police and ambulances rushed around with their sirens wailing, bringing the wounded to the various hospitals. No one understood how London's most eye catching feature had fallen over night, crushing several unsuspecting tourists as it did.

The world was broken. The flames and the smoke were a permanent feature now and with every passing day another part of it was destroyed.

* * *

**Translation of chapter title:** oath, sacraments, sacred rites.


	40. Endgame

_"I__n fine principium meuthe unix_

**A/N: **To all of you who have stuck with me throughout this amazing journey; thank you. This story has become something for me that I never imagined possible and I am looking forward to writing part two. I have chosen a title for the story now and it will most likely be called "Nemesis." Please, follow me as an author if you aren't already and would like to be alerted when the next story goes online.

"Serpent Spell" has been my most intense project since starting writing fan fiction years ago. It is also the first project where I really felt I had something special going and I have loved every minute of it, no matter how twisted, dark, complicated and emotional it all became. I couldn't have asked for a better audience and I have started to look forward to seeing your amazing, kind, wonderful, sweet and uplifting reviews. I have shared PM's with some you about this story and your input and thoughts have been inspiring. A lot about this story wouldn't have been what it became if hadn't been for you. So thank you, because a writer is nothing without an audience.

Love always,  
~Cissy

* * *

**Chapter 40**

"**Endgame"**

The world was burning. Raging flames destroyed building after building, leaving behind nothing more but smouldering ruins and hot ashes. The city of London was engulfed in flames. Not a night went by without another fire and the orange flames would light up the dark backdrop. The Houses of Parliament had been the next monumental landmark to be destroyed; days after Big Ben had been reduced to rubble. The Metropolitan police, Scotland Yard and the emergency services were at their wits end. Day after day they rescued people from burning buildings or removed charcoaled bodies from under debris.

The world had changed and those who remembered Lord Voldemort's reign saw the resemblance. The Wizarding community and the Muggle world overlapped and those who were responsible for the fires and deaths took little care to hide themselves. The reports of people seeing black cloaked figures 'just vanish into the night' were endless. The Ministry of Magic did little to nothing to condemn the attacks. Minister McGuinnes called out for people to remain calm as the Daily Prophet continued to spread stories designed and created by the Three Cores.

It had been four days since she had left her cottage and had been introduced to the resistance and Andromeda walked down what was left of Diagon Alley. It was late afternoon and the sun was beginning to set behind the horizon, painting the skies in shades of red and amber. She paused when she walked past Ollivander's wand shop. Its windows had been smashed in and boarded up and broken glass littered the steps leading up to the door. She heaved a sigh as her hand closed around the chrome handle and the door gave way.

It was dark inside and she drew her wand. "Lumos." The tip of her wand started glowing and illuminated the devastation inside. The counter where the old wand maker had once stood had been thrown over and the antique lamp had fallen to the ground. The floor to ceiling shelves containing thousands and thousands of wands had been ransacked. Empty wand boxes lay scattered around on the ground and in the dim light of her wand she saw how all the wands had been snapped in half.

"Someone wanted to make sure these couldn't be used again," a voice said from behind her and Andromeda turned around to find Ginny standing in the open doorway. The young red haired woman stepped inside, using her own wand to light her path, and shook her head. "They really didn't leave a single piece intact, did they?"

Andromeda slowly bent down to pick up one of the broken sticks that lay at her feet and she held it in her open hand. "I suppose they don't want to risk anyone replacing their wand once it's broken." She sighed. "Which makes me wonder what they do with their own warriors, once they lose their wands?"

"I wouldn't be surprised they took a few from here before they torched the place," Ginny said as she pointed at the walls. It bore signs of a fire that had failed to spread. "I can imagine the three of them walking in here themselves, looking for the most suitable wands."

"Unless a wand chooses a witch or wizard or is won in battle, it doesn't perform as well," Andromeda said slowly. "It seems strange they are willing to take that risk." She looked down at the wand in her hand and her fingertips tentatively touched the unicorn hair that had been used for its core. It dangled from the two broken ends of the wand.

"Their warriors are stronger than any witch or wizard I have seen," Ginny said. "I know most of them arent't known for their intelligence but what they lack in braincells they make up in the cruealty department. You heard what they did to Hannah's family."

Andromeda swallowed as she remembered the night the news had reached them. They had been sitting in the small building that now served as their new Headquarters and there had been a knock on the door. Dean Thomas had rushed in, panting, and fell over his own feet in his attempt to reach Hannah Abbot. Through tears and sobs he managed to tell her how some of Hermione's men had gotten to her parents' house and torched it after leaving the family trapped in their bedroom. Andromeda could still hear Hannah's tormented screams in the back of her mind.

Her eyes slowly closed and she took a deep breath. "Didn't you say there is another part to this building?"

"Yeah, we first used it with the resistance until Bellatrix captured me and I betrayed its location," Ginny said. "Why?"

Andromeda looked at her. "If you make something so dangerous and destructive, wouldn't you at least try and think of a way to contain or destroy it?"

Ginny's eyes widened. "You think Ollivander thought of a way to destroy the Cores?"

"No, I don't think he ever got that far," Andromeda said slowly and chewed her lip as she thought out loud. "Bellatrix and Narcissa got to him days before they got to Hermione. I know Voldemort wanted him to help him because of the connection to Harry's wand but Bellatrix and Narcissa knew about their own wands. They also knew there was a third one out there somewhere and they even knew Hermione was the one who owned it." She paused. "They wanted answers. Ollivander must have told them about the wands before Hermione arrived. That's how Bellatrix must have known Hermione would come to her on the night of the wedding."

"And if Bellatrix asks you a question, you answer," Ginny said as she remembered Bellatrix interrogating her in Azkaban. A cold shiver crept down her spine and the palms of her hand suddenly became clammy. "She has her ways."

"When was the last time we saw Ollivander?" Andromeda asked. "When we brought him back to the Burrow that one night, where did he go afterwards?"

"I think mum sent him to my Auntie Muriel's house," Ginny answered. "I am not sure if he stayed there though. Do you want to talk to him?"

"Later," Andromeda said. "First I need you to show me this room you used with the resistance."

Ginny nodded. "It's through here."

They walked through the destroyed wand shop into the small back area. It held two shabby looking kitchen cupboards and a dirty old sinks. The windows were covered in grime and the curtains were torn. More broken wands and empty boxes lay scattered around the floor here. Ginny went ahead and pointed at an old wooden door, partially hidden from sight by a heavy looking bookcase. Some of the shelves were broken and pages had been ripped from the books. She slowly opened the door and Andromeda realised that the door led back to Diagon Alley. She followed Ginny outside and the red head took a turn to the left before pointing at some sort of an extension to the wand shop that could not be reached from inside. The door had been blasted off its hinges.

"They've been here," Ginny said and looked at Andromeda. "I thought they would, once I gave the location away. I just hadn't been here since then."

Andromeda pushed against what was left of the door before stepping into the small space. It was about three times the size of the space they occupied now and the sole window had been covered with old newspapers to block out any light coming in. A couple of old chairs and a wonky table stood in the corner of the room, and an old sofa had been placed underneath the window. The floor was plain concrete and stripy, old fashioned wallpaper was peeling from the walls.

"What are you looking for?" Ginny asked. She was still standing in the doorway.

"I don't know," Andromeda said as her eyes drifted around the room. "But whatever it is, something tells me it has got to be here."

~()~

She stood on the banks of the river Thames, overlooking the still burning remains of the Houses of Parliament. The blue flashing lights from the emergency services lit up the night time skies, adding only to the drama of the raging flames destroying the home of political England. For a full day the building had been engulfed in flames and no one had managed to put them out. Thick, black smoke circled up into the air and around her crowds had begun to gather. Most of them watched in horror, with their hands in front of their mouths, as the building burnt. Her face was emotionless and when she turned away from the all destroying flames, she pushed herself a way through the crowd without looking where she went. The streets of London were unusually quiet, apart from those who watched the flames, and she walked along the river path, leading her further into the city.

Eventually she reached two lone figures who were watching the flames from a distance, hiding in the shadows of a large tree. They looked up when she walked into their line of vision and Narcissa's blue eyes glistened.

"They were seen near the old wand shop."

Hermione frowned. "Why would they be there?"

"It's the old resistance hideout," Bellatrix said as she slowly lowered her hood. "Lord knows what they want in that dump."

"Do we know where their new Headquarters are?" Hermione asked.

Narcissa shook her head. "They must have used the Fidelius Charm again and they are all Secret Keeper."

"You just said you saw Andromeda near the wand shop. Why didn't anyone take her and get her to tell us where the hell they are having their little meetings?" Hermione hissed. She reached into the pocket of her leather coat and drew her wand. "For fuck sake, do I need to do everything myself around here?"

"Hermione, the resistance is useless. There can't be any more than twenty of them!" Bellatrix laughed. "Look at this!" She pointed at the raging flames on the opposite side of the river. "There is nothing they can do that will stop us. They are weak, defenceless. If they do become a problem, we'll just grab that young Weasley bitch again. She's got another cheek that could have a matching scar."

Hermione's eyes darted to Narcissa at the mention of Ginny Weasley's injury. "I take it you'd be up for that?" Narcissa didn't answer and Hermione shook her head. "It isn't good enough, Bellatrix. If I send out warriors to tell me where Andromeda is, I expect them to bring her to me. You know, when you said you wanted to recruit some of the former Death Eaters, I thought you meant you were actually going to get us some useful ones. Not these lowlife pieces of shit who don't know their own arse from their elbow!"

"Sush," Narcissa said softly and covered Hermione's mouth with her index finger. "We'll deal with this when we get back."

Hermione glared at Narcissa but didn't speak. Instead she turned on the spot and vanished with a soft 'pop.' Bellatrix looked at her sister and together they followed, vanishing into the night. When they reappeared outside the gates of Black Manor they found Hermione walking ahead of them, already halfway across the gravel.

"She needs to learn to control her bloody temper," Bellatrix huffed as she and Narcissa followed in Hermione's footsteps.

"Coming from you?" Narcissa retorted and shook her head. "I'll deal with her. You gather some of our best warriors and tell them to find that rotten sister of ours. I want her here before morning breaks." Her blue eyes met Bellatrix's and she leant in. Warm lips brushed against Bellatrix's and she kissed her, softly at first before becoming more passionate. Bellatrix responded, releasing some of the anger that had been building up inside of her. When Narcissa pulled away she let her hand slide down across her sister's cheek. "Go now."

Bellatrix glanced back at the house and just watched Hermione disappear through the large garden doors before looking back at her sister. Then she turned the other way and went off to find their best men to try and track down her sister whilst Narcissa continued along the gravel and followed Hermione into the house. She found her in the living room standing by the window. The anger was practically radiating of her body.

"What's wrong with you?" Narcissa asked when she reached the brunette but regretted ever speaking those when Hermione spun around and the tip of her wand pressed into the side of Narcissa's neck.

"What?" she hissed.

Narcissa's hand closed around the wand and without breaking eye contact she slowly lowered it. Where the tip had made contact with her flesh a bright red burn had appeared but she ignored the pain. Her blue eyes held Hermione's and she shook her head. "Your anger is becoming a distraction."

"You would be angry too if you were put in this position," Hermione spat. "Does Bella have any idea what she has done?"

"Bella?" Narcissa echoed. "What has this got to do with Bellatrix?"

"She made me love Andromeda!"

"She asked you to make her fall in love with you. She never mentioned you falling in love with her," Narcissa said sharply. "That weakness lies within your own heart."

"Shut up, Cissy," Hermione snapped. "Because of Bella our souls attached themselves to each other, or whatever it was that Andy was saying. I can never be part of you and Bella as long as she lives and I can never be part of her as long as you live. Have you got any idea what this means? What this is going to do to us if I don't do what needs to be done?"

"You need to kill her." Narcissa's words were cold and emotionless. "For us to survive she needs to die. Your love for her cannot control you, Hermione. You are here, with us." She took a step closer to the brunette. "Your heart belongs to me." A slender finger found its way under Hermione's chin and she forced her to look up. She brought her lips closer to Hermione's and kissed her softly. Hermione reluctantly answered the kiss and when she felt Narcissa's tongue against her lips she slowly parted them. When she felt the blonde hands slide down to her hips she willingly let herself be pulled into her arms. Anything was better than having to think and feel. This was better, this would numb everything, and with a soft groan she gave in.

Her hands grabbed hold of soft strands of golden hair and her skin suddenly burnt and longed to be touched. She felt the arousal between her legs and when Narcissa's hands drifted over the swell of her breasts behind her corset she groaned in appreciation. The laces came undone with ease and Narcissa's nails grazed across swollen nipples. The touch was bordering on painful but Hermione's eyes closed as the sensation rushed through her veins.

Narcissa's hands were quick and agile and they wandered down across Hermione's stomach before reaching the button of her leather trousers. She opened them slowly, without ever breaking their kiss, and pushed Hermione backwards against the cold glass of the window. Her hand slipped into her trousers and behind her knickers, encountering the hot wetness of her core within seconds. Hermione arched her back when she felt Narcissa's fingers at her entrance and threw her head back when the blonde witch entered her.

"You belong to me," Narcissa whispered when she finally broke the kiss. Her lips were warm against Hermione's ear and the tip of her tongue danced over Hermione's pulse. Her free hand trailed down the brunette's arm, nails scratching across skin, leaving behind red marks. "Nothing is ever going to change that." She increased the pressure of her thrusts, accenting the determination in her words and Hermione flung her arms around Narcissa's neck in support.

She climaxed with an outcry of lust and her body collapsed against Narcissa's. The heavy beating of her heart resounded in her head and the back of her throat had become dry but when she looked up to find hungry blue eyes looking down at her she moved in instinctively. Her lips found Narcissa's and her kiss was overpowering. The blonde staggered backwards, with Hermione's arms wrapped around her back, and landed on the sofa. Hermione landed on top of her and positioned herself between Narcissa's legs.

Eager hands pulled up Narcissa's long sleeved back shirt and revealed her black bra. She unhooked it with ease and as it fell away from her porcelain toned skin, Hermione's warm lips closed around a hardened nipple. Narcissa's hands threaded in Hermione's hair as she kissed her way down her stomach and only stopped when she reached her skirt. She began peeling it down Narcissa's thighs and the blonde witch lifted her lower body up from the sofa as Hermione's fingers grazed along her skin. She gasped when she felt burning hot lips kiss their way back up until they reached the inside of her thighs. The tip of Hermione's tongue flicked over her most sensitive spot and sharp nails dug into the soft flesh of her lover's shoulders. Hermione entered her with two fingers and smiled to herself when she heard Narcissa whimper in a mixture of pleasure and pain.

Narcissa arched her back and locked one leg over Hermione's shoulder as the brunette continued to touch her. Beads of sweat glistened across her skin and slid down the valley of her breasts. She was panting loudly and her heart hammered against her ribcage so loudly she believed it was about to burst out of her chest. Somewhere deep inside of her the climax began to build up and when she hit her orgasm she lifted her upper body up from the sofa only to collapse against the soft cushions.

Hermione pushed herself back up and positioned herself half across Narcissa's chest, half next to her on the sofa. Slim fingers drew circles around her belly button as she absentmindedly gazed at the wall across the room.

"We are one," Narcissa whispered as she placed her lips against Hermione's forehead. Her hand slid down the brunette's chest until she could feel the soft pulse under her fingers. "One heart."

They lay like this for some time as darkness fell outside. Candles magically lit themselves around the room and unexpectedly the door to the living room opened. Bellatrix walked in, her hair bound back in a messy ponytail and clutching her wand. Her eyes fell on the two women on the sofa, still half naked and wrapped up in each other's arms. Hermione's head snapped up when she heard the sound of footsteps on the floorboards and her eyes found Bellatrix. The raven haired witch had stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the scene before her, aghast.

Hermione casually slipped off the sofa and began lacing her corset back up after having buttoned her trousers. When she looked back up at Bellatrix, the older woman's eyes reflected anger. She walked across the room before snaking her arms around her neck. "Isn't this what we are?" she whispered. "A part of each other, for all eternity?"

Bellatrix swallowed hard as she kept her eyes fixed on her sister getting dressed. Narcissa didn't meet Bellatrix's gaze and instead chose to move further away from Bellatrix, turning her head the other way as not to look at her. Bellatrix glanced at Hermione one last time and slowly pushed the brunette' arms away from her. A hint of betrayal flickered behind her eyes.

"No sign of Andromeda." Her voice was empty and flat.

"Nothing?" Hermione asked. The anger began boiling up again. "She has got to be in London somewhere!"

"Who knows, they could have relocated by now!" Bellatrix argued. "If that bloody resistance is growing, they may have travelled half way across the country to find more idiots to join them. Last word is that some of your old Hogwarts friends have joined the ranks."

"Of course they have." Hermione rolled her eyes. "Idiots."

Bellatrix eyed the brunette up. "Why are you so desperate to find her?"

"You heard her!" Hermione snapped. "What other choice do I have?"

"If we wait long enough, she'll come to us," Narcissa suggested.

"By then she will probably have recruited even more suicidal morons to join their resistance," Hermione hissed. "I want that resistance out of the way before they can cause any more damage."

"Shouldn't we wait?" Narcissa said carefully but Hermione's eyes snapped up, blazing.

"Wait? Why would we wait? I want the Weasleys and I want Andromeda with them."

"Why the Weasleys?" Bellatrix asked. "Their little girl is running the resistance but even then they are pretty harmless. Why do you want them? What use do they have?"

"They are alive," Hermione sneered. "What they represent needs to die."

"They represent _him_, don't they?" Bellatrix said slowly and took a step towards Hermione. She grabbed hold of her arm and forced her to look at her. "They represent that part of you that you want to forget. The part that still reminds you of him whenever you see them or hear their name. The last fragment of your life that you want to destroy? One last way of destroying him?"

Hermione pulled herself free from Bellatrix's grip and hazel eyes pierced into charcoal black. "I am already dead."

She spun around and ran out of the living room, leaving Bellatrix and Narcissa behind. Her footsteps faded out into the distance as she rushed through the entrance hall and out of the front door, leaving it wide open in her wake. Bellatrix turned to Narcissa and their gazes locked. The magic between them mounted as they stared at each other, confronted with the jealousy they both felt towards each other. In the pocket of her dress, Bellatrix felt for her wand and fingered the soft, smooth wood. The thought left her mind as quickly as it appeared and she closed her eyes for a mere second but when she reopened them she found her sister's hand closed around her own wand, aimed at her heart. Without speaking she too turned around and left the living room. Narcissa lowered her wand and turned to the window. She watched the lone figure of Hermione walk across the gardens and for a moment the silver moonlight lit up her face. When she turned around, feeling Narcissa's eyes on her, the blonde saw nothing but the emotionless eyes of someone already destroyed.

~()~

The sky over London was dark and the orange gloom of the flames still burning at the Houses of Parliament painted a haunting image on the banks of the River Thames. Smoke drifted across the darkened water and the crowds that had been watching earlier had dispersed. Fire engines still attempted to put out the flames but they continued raging.

She stood on the Lambeth side of Westminster Bridge, overlooking the fire. The other side, the Westminster side, was closed off by fire engines. There were very few people about at this time of night and none of the usual traffic could make its way across the bridge. The water underneath her was black and she had glanced down over the green painted railing, staring at her own reflection for a little while.

After a few more minutes of quiet contemplation, Andromeda turned away from the burning building behind her and slowly started making her way back into the city. In the distance the sound of sirens wailing echoed through the night, marking yet another moment where terror had struck again.

It wasn't until she had left the bridge and once again stood on the banks of the river that she became aware of the figure standing not too far away from her. These days it was uncommon for anyone to go out alone unless they had to and the resistance's first rule was to always travel in duos. She had ignored the rule tonight, choosing instead the solitude of the London night. She turned slowly, keeping her eyes fixed on the dark clad figure to her right. Her hand slipped into the pocket of her cloak and her fingers brushed along the hard wood of her wand.

"I knew I would find you eventually."

Andromeda's eyes widened as the other figure slowly turned towards her and lowered her hood. She had recognised her voice but to see Hermione standing here, overlooking the fire she herself had caused, brought a shiver to Andromeda's spine. Her fingers closed around her wand.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here," Andromeda said softly. She wanted with all her might to hate her, to despise her, to feel revolted at her sight but she wasn't and couldn't. In her chest her heart settled down, suddenly more at ease than it had been for days. She looked around, expecting to see her sisters emerging from the shadows. When she didn't see them her eyes fixed on Hermione again. "You are alone."

Hermione nodded, a slight smile playing around her lips. "So are you."

"What do you want?" Andromeda asked, slowly become aware of the fact she had been holding her breath.

"I've been looking for you," Hermione said slowly.

"Have you?" Andromeda asked. "I've been here all along. You can't have been looking very hard. Why were you trying to find me?"

"You know very well why I have been trying to find you," Hermione answered and slowly started walking towards Andromeda. Her hand slipped down to the pocket of her jeans but Andromeda was quicker and had drawn her own wand before Hermione could draw hers. Their gazes locked. "It has to end sometime, Andy."

"I know." Andromeda's wand was aimed at Hermione's chest. "I haven't given up yet."

"I've heard all about your little resistance," Hermione mocked. "You might as well give up. Its never going to happen."

"I didn't mean the resistance," Andromeda said. "I meant you."

Hermione seemed taken aback by that answer and her wand lowered itself slightly. Hazel brown eyes searched the older woman's face and she unexpectedly took a step back.

"You can't do it, can you?" Andromeda whispered softly. "I know you can't. Before you claimed I couldn't kill you because I love you. I can't kill you because you are a part of me." She paused. "The _missing_ part of me. Just like I am the missing part of you." Her eyes suddenly swam with tears. "Can you really kill a part of yourself, Hermione?"

Hermione unexpectedly closed the distance between her and Andromeda. Their lips were less than an inch apart and she could feel the other woman's warm breath against her skin. "I guess we'll have to find out."

Before Andromeda could answer Hermione was gone. She had vanished into a cloud of black smoke and all that remained was the image of the flames burning on the other side of the river. She heaved a sigh and slowly started walking back into the city, storing her wand safely into the pocket of her robes, knowing full well that soon the day would come that she would have to use it in the one way she had never dared to be possible.

Andromeda walked unaware of the eyes following her from the dark alleyway. Shrouded in the shadows she watched the other part of herself, the other shard of her soul, walk away into the night. She fingered the wand in her hand, glancing down at it every so often. This was what it had come to. A choice between what lay already in her hands and what lay deep within herself. Hermione felt the unexpected tears behind her eyes as she looked from Andromeda to the flames reflecting on the surface of the river Thames.

Whatever choice she'd make, there would be flames and something would have to fall. Something would go up in flames until there was nothing left.

* * *

**Fin.**

Translation of the quote at the top: In the end is my beginning.


End file.
